


Topsy Turvy Imp

by Pixelatrix



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Humor, Kissing, Mercenaries, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-22
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-01-26 04:03:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 37,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1673978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story started as a prompt on Tumblr for a world where Hackett and Zaeed switch places.  I decided that it would be interesting to see what Fia's world would be like if her father - Steven Hackett - was the co-founder of the Blue Suns, and Zaeed became the most famous Admiral in the Alliance.</p><p>This is a retelling of Ofelia Hackett's story, from Child's Play.</p><p>The story was further inspired by two pieces of art by StarfleetSpectre on Tumblr:</p><p>Hackett:  http://starfleetspectre.tumblr.com/post/86156216961/and-heres-the-hackett-one</p><p>Zaeed: http://starfleetspectre.tumblr.com/post/86139889666/fuck-the-police-the-hackett-ones-still-a-wip</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Childs Play](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083213) by [Pixelatrix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix). 



> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

The sight of a small, blonde human running through the tight alleys of the Krogan controlled section of Omega had become fairly common place. Ofelia ran dust for her drug dealer step-father, Dusan Granger. She was seven years old, too young for the things she saw on a daily basis. She was fast on her feet and _way_ too smart for her own good.

Blood Pack mercenaries weren’t known to be _kind_ to humans who strayed too close to their territory. Fia got away with it for one reason only, Urdnot Wrex. She’d done him a favor the first time they met, fixed a terminal he’d broken. He’d hung around on the station longer than intended to look out for the little pyjack.

Wrex had suspicions about her home life. It wasn’t until Fia ran past him with dried blood on her chin he knew for certain. He’d been on Omega for a year, gone out of his way to ensure she was left alone. He liked the tiny human. She made him laugh, and kept fixing his terminal for him.

He motioned for her to jump up on a bench so he could use omni-gel on the cut that ran along her chin. “What happened?”

“Nothin’.” Fia had a dark look in her eyes. Her usual bright grin dimmed to a frown. She’d been like that for the last few days. “I’m ‘kay.”

“Crazy little pyjack.” He watched her play with the toy cruiser she always carried around. He caught sight of numbers on the bottom. She tossed it to him when he asked. He was surprised when he recognized an Alliance service number. “Where’d you get this?”

“Didn’t steal it.”

“C’mon little pyjack.”

She finally admitted it had been in a container with her name on it. It was a gift from her _real_ dad who she’d never met. She snatched it from him then raced off to finish her deliveries for the day. He made her promise to stop by later.

With the Alliance service number from the toy, Wrex grabbed one of Aria’s engineers to make him do research. Dusan never treated Fia as anything other than an errand girl, her mother was worse. He wanted to know who the hell this ‘real father’ was. It took him hours to find the answers.

The service number belonged to a dishonorably discharged Alliance marine named Steven Hackett. He was now one of the co-founders of the Blue Suns. Wrex used one of his contacts to get a message to the man. Someone needed to take care of the little human and get her the hell off of Omega.

Hackett responded within the hour. Wrex’s opinion of the man went up when he immediately asked the Krogan to keep Fia with him…keep her safe. Hackett intended to be on Omega by the end of the day. His daughter was clearly a priority. He claimed to have been trying to find her for the past few years; Patricia moved so much he’d always missed them.

When Fia didn’t show up later, Wrex started to grow concerned. Hackett arrived early so Wrex led him to the human block of apartments where Dusan lived. They could hear the sounds of an argument as they reached the front door. It didn’t sound like a _mild_ argument either.

He was about to knock when a child’s scream pierced the air.  It was followed by a loud crash. Hackett brought up his omni-tool to bypass the lock on the door. They rushed inside with their rifles drawn.

Fia was cowering on the floor between a bookshelf and the wall in the living room. Her pink t-shirt was torn. A massive bruise covered the entire left side of her face. Dusan loomed over her while her mother, Patricia, stood nearby egging the dealer on with a drink her hand. A broken bottle of gin lay on the floor at her feet.

“Who the hell are you?” Dusan twisted around to face them.

_“A father.”_

With impressive precision, Hackett moved through the room. He got between his daughter and the drug dealer. Lifting her up, he pressed her face against the front of his armor with one hand then fired two shots. One went through Dusan’s forehead, the other through Patricia’s. He holstered his weapon and carried Fia out of the apartment.

Wrex watched as he sat the trembling little girl on her feet and then crouched in front of her. Fia glanced up at Wrex who immediately frowned at her. “Is this what you call being okay?”

Fia shrugged.

“Ofelia?” Hackett drew her attention back to him. “I’m…”

“Steven Hackett.” Her clear blue eyes peeked out from under a curtain of messy blonde hair. “I saw you on a vid once. Mom yelled at you. She…you shot them.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“They hurt my daughter.” His jaw clenched for a moment then he rested what Wrex knew was a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I’d never let anyone get away with hurting my daughter.”

Fia glanced at the armor he wore. “Blue Suns?”

“Yes.”

She looked at him very seriously. “Are you better than them?”

“I don’t touch dust. We don’t deal dust. And I’d _never_ harm a child.” Hackett touched his finger lightly to the bruise on her face. “I’m by no means a hero, kid, but I’ll give you a _real_ home, not this damn nightmare you’ve been living in.”

“’kay.” She stared down at her torn shirt. “No more pink.”

“ _Deal._ ” Hackett stood back up and held his hand out to Wrex. “Thank you.”

“Just keep the Little Pyjack out of trouble.” Wrex laughed when Fia tried to punch him in the arm. “Careful, you might break something.”

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Wrex_

_Subj: Hi._

_Dear Wrex,_

_Dad gave me a terminal._

_And a teacher._

_I like the terminal._

_I have a room, and toys, and clothes that smell nice._

_I made a friend. He plays the same game I do on the extra-net. He’s nice. His name is Eddie. I don’t know where he lives._

_Bye,_

_Fia_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

“What the hell are you doing?” Vido flicked the back of her head as he walked by the couch.

“Playing Galaxy of Fantasy.” Fia batted his hand away when he went to flick her again. She gestured to the room down the hall that her dad used as an office. “He’s in there growling at something or other.”

“That’s going to rot your brain.” Vido pointed to the game.

“At least I have one.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

Having spent the last year at the Blue Suns main headquarters, Fia had grown used to her dad’s co-whatever-person but she didn’t like him. He liked to tease her. They tended to go at each other more like siblings than a kid and an adult should. She stayed mostly in her room or their quarters. Hackett didn’t like her being around some of the mercenaries, particularly the batarians.

She was surprised when the two men came out of the office moments later with equally angry looks on their faces. Her dad explained there was a problem on one of their bases further in the terminus system. Hackett was going to have to deal with it himself, so she’d be staying. He warned her to keep to her quarters, and if anyone bothered her to let Vido know immediately.

The first three days were fine, but Fia got bored and snuck out on her tutor. She was wandering around the base when one of the batarians came up to her. He started talking about how slavers _liked_ young humans the best. They brought in the most money and were easier to _train_.

“Leave me alone.” Fia shoved at the arm he’d put around her and ran in the opposite direction.

The base was originally part of an old Palladium mine. Fia ran blindly until she found herself lost in part of the closed off tunnels.   She could still hear the taunting voice of the batarian so she ran deeper into the mine. She’d left her omni-tool on the table next to her teacher to avoid suspicion so she couldn’t even send for help.

The mocking voice echoed in small tunnels. It reminded Fia of a time when Dusan had chased her on Omega. She found ventilation shaft with a missing grate that she could clamber up into. She slid back away from the opening and cowered in the cold, darkness. She wished her hoodie wasn’t draped over her bed. Her blasto t-shirt and cargo shorts weren’t keeping her warm at all.

_She wanted her dad._

_And she wanted the creepy merc to go away._

Muffled voices seemed to bounce all around her in the metal shaft. Fia pulled her knees up to her chest and covered her ears with her hands. She rocked back and forth and periodically scrubbed tears away with her sleeve. She wanted her dad… _now_.

* * *

 

_From: Vido Santiago_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: Fia._

_We lost her._

_She ran off. I think one of the batarians said something to her. I have a security vid of him talking to her. He says he didn’t say anything but she looked spooked. I’m holding him in one of the cells for you._

_But…she won’t come out for anyone, even me._

_She’s been gone a day. She’s got to be tired and hungry and scared._

_Get your ass back here. I’ve got better things to do than try to find your kid._

_Vido_

* * *

 

Hackett arrived within five hours of receiving the message from Vido. He’d pushed the limits of what the ship could do to get back. He stormed out of the shuttle more filled with rage than he could remember ever being. His jaw clenched so tightly that he was close to cracking a tooth.

“Batarian first?”

“My _daughter_ comesfirst.” Hackett would deal with the bastard who scared Fia later. He wasn’t going anywhere in that cell. “Where do you think she went?”

“We scanned the area. I’m pretty sure she’s hiding in one of the vent shafts in the mine.” Vido sent Lieutenant Locke to keep an eye on the batarian.

He raced ahead of Vido through the tunnels that were _supposed_ to be sealed. He told himself to stay calm. It was hard to do when he knew how many men they’d initially lost in the mines when they set up the damn base.

“Fia?” His voice echoed along with his footsteps as he ran towards the ventilation shaft. He remembered it because he’d been the one to knock the grating down. “It’s safe to come out now, kid. I promise. Whatever he said to you, I’m not going to let it happen.”

He finally crouched down by the opening. “Are you in there, kid? Come out for me, please? I’ll make breakfast for dinner, your favorite.”

“Just tell her to get the fuck out,” Vido muttered.

“Shut the hell up. She’s scared.” Hackett barely managed to restrain himself from punching him. He pulled the flashlight off of his rifle and set it inside the shaft. “There’s a little light. I bet it’s dark and cold inside there with the fans still running.”

“Dad?”

Her voice was faint but there. Hackett continued to talk to her while he listened to her scrambling along until she finally tumbled out at his feet. She seemed uninjured but definitely cold and probably hungry. Her clothes were completely filthy.

He lifted his eight year old up into his arms. “Fancy finding you here.”

“Funny.” She dropped her head on his shoulder with an exhausted sigh. Her eyes turned to Vido who was standing in front of them with a frown on his face. “Sorry, I ran.”

“I enjoy nothing more than exhausting myself for an entire day looking for a tiny brat.” Vido smiled when she stuck her tongue out at him. “What exactly did Stelek say to you?”

“Who?” Fia rubbed her eyes with her fingers.

“The batarian.”

“Oh.” Fia wrapped her arms around Hackett’s neck. “Dunno.”

“Ofelia.” Hackett glanced down at his daughter. “It’s important.”

“He said they like little humans.” She frowned at Vido. “I don’t like the batarians guys. I like Tarak. He’s funny.”

“Funny?” Vido raised an eyebrow. “That bastard doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

“He does too.” Fia made a face at him. “The other one talked like the ones on Omega that Wrex told me to stay away from. He kept saying he was gonna send me to the slavers. I don’t like slavers. They’re…bad…they’re worse than Dusan. Much worse.”

“How the hell do you know what slavers are like?” Vido sounded _almost_ as angry as Hackett felt.

“He told me.” Fia yawned mid-sentence. “I’m hungry.”

Deciding they could have a talk _later_ about not running into dangerous mines. Hackett left Fia with her teacher so he could deal with Stelek. He stormed into the cell with his pistol in hand. The batarian immediately glanced behind him at Vido for help.

“Don’t look at me you stupid shit. I told you the girl was _off-limits_ to _everyone_.” Vido leaned back against the wall by the door to watch.

Hackett pointed the pistol and shot through the bastard’s left foot. His hand around the batarian’s throat kept him on his feet. “You _touched_ my daughter.   You terrified her. You sent her running into a dangerous mine. You threatened _my daughter._ ”

“She’s soft, like you.” Stelek spat in Hackett’s face then glared at Vido. “Like both of you.”

“I think he just said he wanted to die the slow way.” Vido pushed away from the wall to pull a knife from the sheath on the side of his armor. “Shall I?”

“When I’m finished.” Hackett turned his pistol towards Stelek’s right foot. “You had one damn rule. You don’t go near my kid. That’s it. That’s the only rule. And you screwed it up.”

By the time Hackett was finished, his armor was covered in things Fia didn’t need to see. He left Stelek _alive_ thought not for long given the look in Vido’s eyes. He showered and changed in one of the showers in the barracks before heading to his apartment.

Fia was sitting on the couch with a blanket tugged around her. Her teacher shrugged and gestured towards the bowl of soup that remained untouched. He sent the tutor off to her quarters. Fia looked up at him when they were alone.

“No soup?”

“She makes it too salty.” Fia nudged the bowl with her foot. “You promised breakfast for dinner.”

“So I did.”

“Is he dead?” Fia stared down at the toy cruiser in her hands. “I hope he’s dead.”

“Fia.”

“What?” She lifted clear blue eyes up at him. “He meant what he said, Dad. He had the same look Dusan always had.”

Hackett sat heavily on the couch beside her then lifted her up into his lap. His arms wound tightly around his daughter. “I promised to keep you safe, and I will. No more leaving the omni-tool behind when you sneak around. You keep it with you at _all_ times. Is that clear?”

“Yea, yea. Make me breakfast.”

“ _Fia_.”

“Sorry.” Her fingers clutched the little cruiser tightly and he worried she was going to cut her hand on it. “I was scared.”

“I know, kid.”

“I had to wait for you ‘cause you’re safe.” She patted her hand against his chest for emphasis. “Love you, Dad.”

“I love you too.”

“Am I still in trouble?”

“Most definitely.”

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Eddie_

_Subj: re: Game._

_Sorry. I can’t. I’m grounded._

_For life. Or next week._

_Fia_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

By the time Fia was eleven, Hackett realized keeping her around the rest of the Blue Suns was a terrible idea. It was bad for her and for his temper. The members of the group that weren’t wrapped around her little finger worried him the most.  The batarians that Vido kept recruiting against his wishes were on the top of his list of concerns.

_They watched her._

_And he watched them._

So Hackett worked on a plan to separate himself from the Suns. It turned out to be easier than anticipated. Vido had been arguing with him a lot more frequently on the direction he wanted to take the group. If Hackett left, he’d have the freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted, in exchange, Vido agreed to leave Hackett and Fia alone.

_It seemed simple._

_Too simple._

It wasn’t until Fia had already carried the last of her stuff out to the waiting shuttle that Hackett realized something wasn’t quite right. Vido approached them with a contingent of batarian recruits who weren’t loyal to Hackett. He turned to face them with his rifle in his hand.

“ _Don’t fire.”_ Vido ordered the men. He held an arm out to push one of them back. “I just want to talk to him.”

The batarian to his immediate left didn’t appear interested in talking. He raised his rifle and started firing at Hackett who with short bursts from his weapon took out four of them before a second shot was fired by any of them. Fia ran out at the sound of the gunfire and froze behind him. Vido locked eyes with Hackett. He could see the regret in his partner’s eyes. Fia was a complication the man likely hadn’t really thought about much.

Vido yelled at his men to stand down but one of them fired anyway. Fia screamed while Hackett tried to dodge the shot. It caught him along the right side of his face.   He was going to have a hell of a scar along his cheek. He fired at the bastard who got a shot off before he collapsed.

His entire world stopped when Fia lunged up to take the bullet for him. It caught her in the shoulder and she dropped at his feet. Hackett crouched down to lift her up in one arm while his gun stayed on Vido.

“I didn’t…” Vido stared in shock at the blood covering Fia’s shirt. “Shit. I just wanted to fucking tell you to stay the hell away from our operations. They weren’t supposed to shoot. Let me get a medic…she’s gonna bleed out.”

“You’re not putting a finger on my daughter.” Hackett’s hand was covered in his daughter’s blood and the anger he felt threatened to overwhelm him. He shot his former partner and friend in the arm knocking his gun to the side. “If I see you again, I will shoot to kill. Stay the hell away from me…stay the hell away from Fia.”

He walked backwards into the shuttle with his gun still focused on Vido. He kept a hand pressed to Fia’s wound as he got the shuttle into the air. With it on autopilot engaged and headed for a nearby colony’s sky-port, he focused on making sure there was nothing stuck in Fia’s shoulder then applied medi-gel to the wound.

It took Hackett three days longer than anticipated to get them out of the system. He didn’t want to rush Fia given the fact that she’d taken a bullet for him. His own wound had healed quickly with medi-gel though he now had a long scar along his right cheek.

It had been a surprise when Wrex not only offered them safe passage but suggested he try bounty hunting. The Krogan seemed to have a keen interest in Fia’s health. He’d been insistent on knowing who had shot her and pleased when Hackett said he’d shot the bastard.

Hackett appreciated the help but felt more relaxed when he was on his way again. He had several safe houses set up both in the Terminus systems and on Alliance colonies in Citadel space. They’d gone to the one on Elysium. It was a small two bedroom apartment but sufficient for the two of them.

He’d always known that a friendship with Vido was a ticking time bomb. It had started back when they were both in the Alliance. There had been a training accident that ended with one of their friends getting shot in the face.

 _Zaeed Massani_.

He hadn’t spoken to the man in years. The last he heard, he was a Captain in the Alliance in command of a Dreadnought. He’d stayed in the Alliance after recovering from his injuries. He’d never forgiven Vido for shooting him and Hackett had been guilty by association.

It had altered Vido. He had an edge to him that hadn’t been there previously. Hackett had always wondered how long it would be before it became an issue between them. He was still angry that Fia got caught in the middle of it all.

His thoughts went back to his old friend. He wondered if Massani would consider helping him…or at least Fia. She couldn’t be blamed for anything that happened between them.

The Alliance had an academy on Arcturus that Fia would do well in. Hackett was tempted to reach out to Massani…just to see if he could help. The trouble was Hackett didn’t think he could willingly let his daughter go. He had no intention of spending time on Arcturus.

_Could he let Fia leave?_

“Dad?”

He glanced up to find her hovering by the desk. “You’re still supposed to be resting.”

“’m bored.” Fia fidgeted then groaned when the movement hurt her shoulder. “How long is it gonna hurt?”

“A few more days.” Hackett ruffled her hair. “Next time, don’t jump in front of a bullet, kid.”

“Had to.” Fia lifted up the little toy cruiser she always kept with her. “You’re my dad.”

“I love you, kid.” He eased her into a hug, careful of her shoulder. “Why don’t you sit on the couch and play that game you like? I’ll make lunch in a few minutes.”

“Hey dad?”

“Hmm?”

“I was scared.” She leaned against his side. “I didn’t want you to die.”

“The feeling is mutual.” He turned to give her his full attention. “Do you want to watch a vid while we eat?”

“Together?”

“Yep.”

“ _Awesome_.”

With a sigh, Hackett followed her out of the room toward the kitchen. He rubbed his finger along the scar on his cheek.   It was likely the bullet she’d taken would’ve caught him square in the chest. He didn’t know why he was even pretending. He wasn’t letting his daughter out of his sight. It would break his heart if he did.

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Vido_

_Subj: re: sorry._

_Dad’ll kick your butt if he knows you sent me a message._

_S’ok. I know you didn’t mean for me to get shot. It’s not ok that you wanted Dad to get shot. If your men don’t listen to you, I think you have problems. Big ones._

_Don’t get shot._

_You’re a jerk but I still like you even if your brain is rotted._

_Fia_

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

The upside of living on Elysium was that Fia had eventually convinced her dad she didn’t need a tutor. She had signed herself up for online coursework. As long as she got her education, Hackett didn’t seem to matter _how_ she got it. He did have a lot to say if her test scores were low or if she slacked off. He’d bribed her into _focusing_ on her studies by promising to take her on a bounty during the summer.

He regretted the promise within minutes of taking her. His version of the story was Fia had gotten in the way and been unnecessarily casual with her safety. Her version was that she’d done him a favor by catching the batarian bastard faster than he would have.

_A year later, they were still arguing about it._

Her dad didn’t seem to understand that Fia was almost fourteen. Her birthday was in a couple of months. He acted like she was still a helpless eight year old who needed rescued. She was a brilliant Hackett and almost as a good a shot as he was.

Given the nature of his business, Hackett had insisted on Fia learning how to shoot any weapon he kept in their house on Elysium. She took it a step further by becoming as close to an expert with them as she could. She’d also learned how to use the different mines he liked to use.

“No.”

“Yes.”

 _“No.”_ Her dad added emphasis along with a swat to the back of the head. “ _No.”_

“You need me.”

“You need a swift kick.” He pushed her away from his desk. “I’m busy, go do your homework.”

“What homework?” Fia grinned at him. “Who is going to hack into their security systems for you? Hmm? I wasn’t the one setting off alarms at an Eclipse base last week.”

“I said _no_.”

“Yeah, but is it ‘no’ or is it ‘no but I’m going to message you for help’.” Fia dodged his second swat to the back of her head. “That’s child abuse.”

“And what do you call your constant aggravation? Hmm?” Hackett grabbed her shoulders to walk her out of his office when she retorted it was ‘senior citizen abuse’. “Consider yourself grounded.”

“For what?”

“Annoying me.”

_“Dad.”_

“Seriously, Dad, why not?” Fia grabbed the doorframe to keep him from shoving her out of the room.

“Maybe next time, kid. This job is a little different.” Hackett was being _very_ evasive.

“Different? Different how?” Fia’s eyes narrowed. She folded her arms across her chest. She noticed the way his lips twitched. He always seemed amused when she glared at him, probably because it was an imitation of his own. “It’s not like you’re going into Batarian…oh shit…why the hell would you take a job like that?”

“Good credits.”

Fia glanced around at the very nice apartment filled with _very nice_ things. “Are we hurting for credits or jobs?”

“I took the damn job. You’re staying here, and doing your school work. _End of discussion._ ” He grabbed her by the shoulders to push her back out of the room. “Don’t test me on this one, kid. I won’t be able to focus if I have to worry about another batarian touching you.”

 _“Fine._ ”

“Stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” His eyes narrowed on her again. _“Ofelia.”_

“I said fine.” Fia stormed down the hall to her room. She threw herself down on her bed with a groan. It was going to be so boring while he was gone. She didn’t get _free rein_ to wander around Elysium when her dad was gone. “Damn it.”

* * *

 

 _From: Fia_ _H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: re: Trust._

_Of course he doesn't trust me._

_The last time my dad trusted me, I managed to crash an entire power grid.  Total accident, I swear, I didn't even know I'd hacked into the power company._

_I was twelve._

_I fixed it._

_Wanna play Galaxy of Fantasy?_

_Fia_

* * *

 

 "What _exactly_ did my daughter do?” Hackett loomed threateningly over the young Lieutenant sitting the desk at the brig.

“Well…uhm…sir…we don’t actually have any proof. We think she…” The Lieutenant took a step back when Hackett slammed a fist on the desk.

“You arrested a thirteen year old without proof. Not only that, you arrested a minor and interrogated her without speaking with her parent.” Hackett lifted his arm up to pull up his omni-tool. “I’ll be a moment; I need to speak with my attorney.”

“That won’t be necessary, Lieutenant. Go get the young woman.”

Hackett glanced back over his shoulder to find a familiar figure. “David.”

“Steven.”

“I haven’t seen you in a long time.” Hackett felt slightly absurd as he lifted his hand to shake the hand of Commander David Anderson.

_David Anderson._

_The one that got away._

Anderson moved closer to touch a finger to the scar on Hackett’s face. “You were shot?”

“It’s complicated.” He didn’t know how much he should really tell Anderson. Fia’s sudden appearance saved him from the awkward moment. “I thought I said stay out of trouble, kid.”

“Sorry, Dad.” Fia glanced between the two men. He frowned at the sudden light of interest in her eyes. “Hi. I’m Fia. His spawn from Satan.”

“ _Fia._ ”

Anderson just chuckled at her and Hackett’s annoyed sigh. “David Anderson. I’m an old friend of your father’s.”

“Really? How old?” Fia’s eyes flicked from one to the other again. “You old dog, Dad, you never said you swung both ways.”

“ _Ofelia Marie Hackett._ ”

“Shit,” Fia groaned. She looked plaintively at Anderson. “That’s the ‘you’re grounded for life’ voice. So what are you doing for dinner?”

“Excuse me?”

Fia smiled at Hackett with the _sweet_ smile that he always found hard to resist. “C’mon Dad, you can’t see an old friend and then just go _bye_. Invite him over for dinner. I’ll cook.”

“You’ll cook?” Hackett raised an eyebrow at his daughter who he fully intended to ground for eternity the moment they were alone.

“I can cook.” Fia’s smile faded slightly. “I can…sort of…cook stuff.”

“How about I bring over _stuff_ and cook for both of you?” Anderson interjected himself back into the conversation.

Hackett set the time and gave Anderson direction. He waited until they were several blocks towards their apartment before shaking his daughter to ask her what the hell she’d been thinking. Fia swore she hadn’t done anything other than change the security codes on the barrack doors a few times.

 _A few times_?

“And dinner with David?”

“Maybe if you get laid you won’t be so grumpy.” Fia covered her mouth the minute the words were out. “Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“ _Ofelia._ ”

“Sorry.” She grinned up at him a moment later. She frowned at his armor. “You should wear jeans and that nice black button-up shirt.”

“Do _not_ try to play matchmaker.” He didn’t like the gleam in her eyes.

“’kay.”

“Fia.”

“What? I said okay.” She grumbled at him.

* * *

 

_From: Fia H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: Parents._

_I don’t know what his problem is._

_I’m gonna try to get them back together._

_How hard could it be?_

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Vido_

_Subj: Recipes._

_I need the recipe for that one stew you taught me how to make. I can’t remember all the ingredients._

_Please?_

_Fia_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: David Anderson_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Dinner._

_I understand you find it awkward, but I’m not disappointing your daughter by not showing up when she invited me to dinner. She is clearly going to great effort to make a special meal. I’m looking forward to trying it._

_I’m not disappointing a fourteen year old because you are afraid I have designs on your virtue_. _Oh wait, we already did that once…more than once._

_I do have designs on you._

_Deal with it._

_David_

* * *

 

Hackett was _not_ in a good mood as he headed out of his office. Over the course of three months, Fia had managed to _accidentally_ invite Anderson over at least seven times. It was a few days after her birthday that she’d done it again. He was going to have to talk to his conniving brat about it.

His daughter was convinced Hackett and Anderson were _star-crossed_ lovers. She apparently believed bringing them together frequently for dinners would cause something to happen. It was driving him to distraction, complete and utter distraction.

The bastard Anderson took great pleasure in making it worse as well. The man wore jeans that were too damn tight for the sanity of Hackett’s mind and the racing of his heart. He wanted to rip them off of him which was awkward with his teenage daughter sitting at the table. Anderson refused to let up since he clearly thought there was a potential future between the two men.

He walked toward his room to find something to change into for dinner when a familiar smell caught his attention. He changed directions to go into the kitchen where Fia hovered by the stove. She muttered to herself while stirring something in a pot. It smelled _so_ familiar to him.

_Where had he…_

“Who _taught_ you to make that stew?” Hackett leaned over her shoulder to look inside of it.

“Extra-net recipe,” Fia shrugged.

“This was _not_ on the extra-net.” Hackett picked up a jar that contained saffron sea-salt. It was a rare ingredient he’d only seen one person use. “When did Vido tell you what the secret ingredient in his Estofado de Ternera was?”

“He told me once.” Fia focused her attention intently on the pot.

“When?”

“I dunno,” she shrugged again much to his irritation.

Hackett took her both the shoulders to turn her around. “I will only ask one more time. When did he show you how to make this?”

“It was a long time ago, Dad.” She was telling him the truth but not all of it. He could tell by the way her hand slid into her pocket where she kept her toy cruiser. “I’m kinda busy right now.”

“Have you had any contact with Vido since we left?” Hackett decided maybe he was asking the wrong question. Fia shook her head in response but the downturn of her usually grinning mouth told him the truth. “He _shot_ you, kid. He’s the reason you have a scar on your shoulder and I have one on my face. He’s dangerous.”

“A batarian shot me.”

“Why the _hell_ do you think he brought only batarians with him, kid?” Hackett’s voice rose in exasperation. “It was damn strategy to avoid blame for our deaths.”

“Dad.”

“I cannot believe my daughter would be so damn foolish and reckless. What the hell were you thinking?” Hackett slammed the palm of his hand on the kitchen counter. “I’m so disappointed in you, kid.”

“But Dad…”

“ _NO._ ”

Fia flinched when his voice went higher and then she darted past him toward the living room. Hackett stormed towards her after she dodged out of the kitchen. He wanted to make sure she understood how dangerous Vido was. It didn’t occur to him until she was cowering on the floor that a man racing after her might trigger memories from the eight years she’d spent with her mother and Dusan. She had her arms over her head.

“ _Fia_.” He crouched down beside his teenager. “Fia. I wasn’t going to hit you. I’d never…damn it, kid…look at me. I would _never_ hit you.”

“I won’t do it again. I promise.” Fia didn’t sound like herself. “I won’t.”

“Fia.” He reached a hand out toward her and she bolted from the room. She was out of the front door before he could stop her. He decided to let her go for the moment. They both needed time to cool off. “ _Goddamn it._ ”

Hackett was furious with himself. He’d handled the entire situation badly. Fia had over the years demonstrated an amazing ability to seemingly forget things that happened to her. It was only when she woke up screaming in the middle of the night that he knew her past still affected her deeply.

He should’ve kicked his own ass for scaring her like he had. It might’ve been unintentional but that wasn’t an excuse. He had always promised himself he wouldn’t…damn it. He headed back into the kitchen to make sure the stew was already.

Fia would come back when she was ready and then they’d have a really long talk.

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Shit._

_Well…without knowing all the details, I can’t really say how you can fix it with your dad. My dad’s super strict, but I can always go and talk to him._

_Maybe you should wait a little until he’s not so angry then try talking to him._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

Fia was sitting on the steps outside of their apartment when Anderson showed up. She used the sleeve of her t-shirt to wipe her face clean. He took one look at her face and sat beside her with a deep sigh. She tried to grin at him but her heart wasn’t in it.

“Is he upset about dinner?” Anderson asked tentatively.

“Yes.” Fia rubbed her fingers across her face. “Not like you think though.”

“Oh?”

“He…” Fia didn’t know how much Anderson knew about her dad’s history with the Blue Suns and Vido. “I screwed up pretty bad. He’s really mad at me.”

“So angry that you’re hiding outside with tears on your face?” Anderson hesitantly wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’ve known your father for a very long time. Your father loves you very much.”

“I know.” She hated disappointing her dad. She hated it even more that she’d flinched like that. She knew he’d never hit her and it made her feel stupid. “We should go in…the stew’s probably ready.”

“Maybe I should…”

“Come inside,” Hackett interrupted. He asked Anderson to step inside while he had a brief conversation with Fia. He took the man’s seat on the steps beside her. “Hey kid.”

“’m sorry.” Fia leaned her head against his arm.

“Kid.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer. “It’s very important to me that you understand I would _never_ hit you… _ever._ I…worry about Vido because I know he’s a manipulative man who might care about you but won’t have any reservation about using you. I want to keep you safe, and I don’t want you afraid of me.”

“I’m not scared of you dad.” Fia grinned up at him. “So…how bad _do_ you feel?”

“ _Ofelia._ ”

“What?” She wasn’t above pushing an advantage now that she was feeling better. “Can we revisit the puppy conversation?”

“No.”

“Dad.”

“ _No._ ”

“Will you be nice to Mr. Anderson?” Fia believed in bringing up questions he would definitely say no to and then moving on to things he _might_ say yes to. “Dad?”

“Fine.”

“I think you should kiss him.” Fia laughed when he ruffled her hair. “Dad.”

“You are a menace.” He kissed the top of her head then lifted her up to her feet to lead her into the apartment. “I am _not_ discussing my love life with you.”

“You don’t have a love life,” Fia retorted. She paused before they stepped into their home. “Hey Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Are you…disappointed in me really?” Fia kept her eyes on the door. She found herself dragged into a hard hug. “Can’t breathe, Dad? Dad hugs are painful.”

“Funny.” He tilted her chin up with his hand. “I’m very proud of you.”

“Kiss him.”

“Inside before I decided to ground you for life.”

“Again?” Fia grinned then darted inside.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: Arcturus_

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_E: Happy Birthday._

_F: Thanks._

_E: Are you still on the Citadel?_

_F: Yep._

_E: Are you celebrating?_

_F: Nope._

_E: Grounding again?_

_F: Yep._

_E: Why?_

_F: “You have a general disregard for your father’s health and mental stability.”_

_F: Then the mean bastard left me here by myself for my birthday._

_E: Come to Arcturus._

_F: What? When?_

_E: Now._

_F: Now?_

_F: Did you misunderstand the whole grounded thing?_

_E: He forgot your birthday._

_F: Yep._

_E: So? Come see me. I’ll buy you cake. There’s an arcade. It’s only a three hour jump from the Citadel. You can be here, party and be back before your dad even knows you left._

_E: C’mon._

_F: Shit._

_F: Fine._

_E: Sweet. Let me know when your transport is supposed to arrive._

_F: My dad is going to kill me._

_E: I’ll send flowers._

_F: It better be really good fucking cake._

_User has disconnected._

* * *

 

Getting a ticket to Arcturus as a just turned sixteen year old required a little hacking; Fia didn’t have any trouble buying a pass on a transport as her Dad. Hackett would be _very_ angry when he found out. He _always_ seemed to discover her minor and major screw ups. She doubted this would be any different.

She was currently grounded for hacking into the Hegemony. She’d found a treasure trove of hidden files related to the batarian slavers and promptly _anonymously_ forwarded them on to an ANN reporter. Her dad had been proud of her. The cruel, evil man had still grounded her for a month.

_And then he missed her birthday though that probably wasn’t punishment, just an accident._

The flight from the Citadel to Arcturus was boring. The handsome sixteen year old boys waiting for her were _not_ dull at all. Eddie Stevens had brought his friend John ‘Shep’ Shepard with him. Fia got the sense that Shep had _invited_ himself.

Eddie was taller and broader shouldered than his buddy. He had dark short brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was a shade or two darker than the tanned Shep who had light green eyes and light brown hair. They both wore jeans and t-shirts.

Six hours later, Fia had eaten a lot of cake. She had also shaved one side of her head and dyed her hair blue. Her dad was certainly going to notice _that_ decision. She also beat the two boys at every arcade game. They’d both kissed her as well.

_She liked kissing Eddie._

_She kissed him again._

_And again._

_And again._

“I really have to go.” Fia started toward the airlock that led to her transport back to the Citadel. She grinned at Eddie. “Don’t forget to send flowers to my funeral.”

“Fia?”

“Yeah?”

He tossed a small package at her. “Happy Birthday.”

Fia wore a stupid grin all the way to her seat in the open, public section of the ship. She couldn’t afford a private cabin. She was opening the small gift when someone sat beside her. Ignoring them, she focused on the small VI module inside the box – a VI pet.

_The little shit._

A week or two back, Fia had been whining about the fact that Hackett wouldn’t let her have a pet. Eddie had teased her about it. She shoved the little VI module into her pocket and leaned back in her seat. She closed her eyes only to snap them back open when a familiar voice said, ‘hello.’

_Oh god._

“Vido.” Fia canted her head to the side to look over at him. She hadn’t seen him in years, not since the day she’d been shot. She heard from him every once in a while. “Slumming with the masses are we?”

“Does your Dad know where you are?” He raised an eyebrow when she nodded. “Liar.”

“What do you want?” Fia found him just as disconcerting as she had when she was eight.

“I need a hacker.”

“I need a puppy. You can’t grant my wish, and I can’t grant yours.” Fia toyed with the ends of her newly dyed hair. “What does your need for a hacker have to do with me?”

“I’ve been hearing about this legendary young hacker who exposed the Hegemony’s sins.” Vido watched her shrewdly. “They have no idea who did it, but I know it was you. You left the signature of the bastard who terrified you when you were eight. Come join the Suns.”

“Has your brain finally completely rotted?” Fia played absently with her omni-tool. She hit the code to start the emergency program she’d created that would send a note to her Dad that she was in trouble. “You shot me.”

“Not technically.”

Fia eased down the shoulder of her t-shirt enough to show the scarred tissue. “Bullshit. Leave me alone, Vido. I haven’t forgotten what my Dad promised to do if he ever saw you again, and I’d suggest you don’t forget it either. I don’t want to be a Blue Sun.”

“Are you sure?” Vido placed his hand on her arm.

“Yes.” Fia jerked away from his touch. “I’m going to sit over there. Don’t join me. And if you want to stay alive, I’d suggest waiting to leave when the ship arrives on the Citadel. I won’t stop him from killing you.”

“You’re afraid of me.”

“I’m not stupid.” Fia stood up and adjusted the collar of her t-shirt. “Of course I’m afraid of the insane criminal stalking me.”

“Fia.”

“What?” She crossed her arms and glared down at him. “What do you want?”

“Happy Birthday.”

* * *

 

_From: Steven Hackett_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: re: SOS._

_WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING ON ARTCTURUS?_

_WHERE ARE YOU NOW?_

_I am going to have a very, very, very long talk with you when you get back to the Citadel. And yes, I imagine a fair amount of yelling will be involved._

_Dad_

* * *

 

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: SOS._

_Celebrating my birthday which you forgot._

_I went to see my friend Eddie on Arcturus. I was perfectly safe. I’m not eight anymore, I can take care of myself._

_And yes I’m aware I was grounded._

_Just…meet me at the noodle shop? I’m starving and you yell less when we’re in public._

_Fia_

* * *

 

“You have blue hair.” Hackett stared at his daughter across the table. “You _have_ blue hair.”

“So you’ve pointed out like a zillion times.” Fia slurped up a noodle then wiped her chin. “I thought there’d be more yelling.”

“You have _blue_ hair.”

“Changing your emphasis doesn’t change my physical appearance.” Fia looked mournfully down at her empty bowl. “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Uhm.” Fia scratched the shaved side of her head. “My general disregard for the rules?”

“Very convincing.” He held up a gift in his hand. “Before I give you a present for your birthday, tell me who the man you spoke to on the ship was?”

“What man?”

“ _Fia._ ”

“Vido.” Fia held her hand up. “It’s why I asked you to meet me that the sky-port. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t want you to get arrested for murder on the Citadel.”

“What did he want?” Her dad’s eyes were narrowed and his jaw clenched. His fingers were threatening to crush whatever her gift was.

“To wish me happy birthday,” Fia shrugged indifferently. “It was just a coincidence.”

 _“Right.”_ He frowned at her. “We’re moving back to Elysium.”

“Really?” Fia sighed. “I like the Citadel. Is Anderson still stationed there?”

“I have no idea.”

“ _Dad_.”

“Do _not_ attempt to match make me with David.” Hackett glared at her but she just grinned back at him. “Fia.”

“Sorry.” She grumbled under her breath about him being a grumpy and needed to get laid until he threatened to throw her present away. “Fine, fine, be old and grey and super lonely forever.”

“The only thing making me old and grey is you.” He handed the package over to her. “Happy Birthday, kid. I’m sorry it’s late.”

Fia immediately ripped the wrapping off of the box. She frowned at a tiny replica of her favorite rifle. “Dad?”

“I’m realizing that you get in more trouble when I leave you alone, so I’ve decided to let you start coming with me on bounties.” He held up his hand when she started to get excited. “It’s on a trial basis. If I think you take too many risks or don’t listen to me, I’m going to make you stay at home.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

* * *

 

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Vido Santiago_

_Subj: re: Happy Birthday._

_Thanks for getting me into more trouble._

_I still dislike you._

_Go away._

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Fia H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: re: Grounded._

_Why the hell would Shep tell your dad about you inviting me to Arcturus without my Dad’s permission? I thought he was your buddy._

_I’m grounded for a week, no Galaxy of Fantasy._

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Grounded_

_Shep was pissed that you didn’t like kissing him._

_I gotta go. My dad’s making me clean one of the officers’ gyms all week for punishment._

_Eddie_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddie: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/85032142381/lovingmalemodels-leo-peixoto-by-lucas-ferrier
> 
> Shep: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/70105065434/ozziehon88-maxi-iglesias


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: Fia H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: re: Dinner._

_I’m sure my Dad will say yes._

_Don’t stare at your terminal like that._

_I’ll guilt him into it._

_Can’t wait to see you._

_Fia_

* * *

 

“No.”

“But Dad…”

“No.” Hackett frowned at his daughter when she muttered a curse at him. “I will _not_ invite an Alliance major into my home. Anderson is bad enough.”

“But Dad…”

“ _I said NO.”_ His voice echoed in the apartment. He rubbed his fingers over his forehead. “Fia.”

“He’s my best friend, Dad, my only friend.” Fia crossed her arms to stare stubbornly at him.

_“No.”_

“Fine.” She stormed out of the living room back to her room. She made sure to lock the door with _her_ special unhackable lock then fell back on her bed with an angry sigh. “Stupid. Unreasonable. Hate him.”

The truth was Hackett had trouble with the fact that his little girl was a month away from her eighteenth birthday. Fia was convinced that was the problem. He’d been driving her crazy with his over-protective shit lately. She’d just wanted to invite Eddie and his dad over for dinner while they were visiting Elysium.

It wasn’t like Fia planned on making out with Eddie. He was currently dating one of the guys in his senior class.   She pulled up her omni-tool to tell Eddie maybe it would be better if she met up with them for dinner at one of the restaurant’s near the hotel they’d be staying.

“Fia?”

She glared at her door when her dad knocked on it again. “Go away.”

“Open the door, kid.” He tapped his knuckle against the door until she finally opened it. “Can we talk?”

“ _No_ ,” she muttered sullenly. She flung herself back on her bed to stare up the ceiling. “ _What_?”

“Is James Stevens aware that you and his son are _plotting_ a dinner here?” Hackett sat on the edge of her bed.

 _“Maybe.”_ Fia sat up with her knees pulled up and her chin resting on one of them. “Do you know Eddie’s dad?”

“Yes.”

“How well?”

“Well enough to know this meal won’t end all that well.” Hackett reached out to ruffle her hair. “I know Eddie’s been a good friend. I’m sure James and I can manage to not kill each other for one dinner. Why don’t I invite David as a buffer?”

Fia grinned knowingly at him. “So when are you going to admit that you and _David_ are screwing around when I’m not home?”

_“Ofelia Marie Hackett.”_

“You always get all mad when I notice the obvious.” She shoved his hand away when he messed her hair up further. “Seriously, Dad, what’s the deal with you and Mr. Stevens?”

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

Fia watched him leave then pulled up her omni-tool. She told Eddie they were on for dinner. She spent a few hours hunting around on the extra-net trying to figure out something about her dad and Mr. Stevens without luck.

* * *

 

_From: Vido S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: James Stevens._

_I haven’t heard that name in a very long time and I’m not surprised to hear your father wasn’t thrilled about hearing it either._

_Your father and I didn’t settle well into the Alliance structure. We’re not made for dealing with rules. We got into a lot of trouble. The result of that was one of our friends was accidentally shot in the face. We were all pretty drunk and acting stupidly._

_James Stevens was the officer on duty when we were tossed into the brig._

_We weren’t very pleasant to be around._

_I don’t think Stevens has any good memories of us. And I think your father’s hesitation to be around him is likely because he doesn’t want you to know the shit we did when we were young._

_And why the hell are you asking me? I thought you weren’t supposed to talk to me anymore._

_Change your mind about working for me yet?_

_Vido_

* * *

 

“Steven.”

“James.”

Eddie and Fia exchanged bemused looks while their fathers glared at each other. They left the _adults_ to bicker about old times. It turned out that Hackett’s drunken remembering of what happened in the brig wasn’t as bad as the reality. They were sharing a beer and laughing about Hackett’s last mission within ten minutes.

“What the _hell_ just happened?” Eddie stared at Fia in confusion. “Did they bond and become soulmates or something?”

“Or something.”

“So did your daughter tell you that she was making out with my son when she had her little adventure on Arcturus?” Mr. Stevens turned twinkling brown eyes towards Fia. “She made quite the impression on him.

“ _Ofelia_.”

“Shit.” Fia smacked Eddie on the arm when he laughed. She held her hand up before her dad could say anything. “It was two years ago and you already grounded me for the offense. You can’t ground me for kissing someone.”

“The hell I can’t.” Hackett raised an eyebrow at her.

“That is…” Fia leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “He’s got a boyfriend.”

“And?”

Fia rolled her eyes. She flicked part of her dinner at her Dad. “You are a terrible, terrible man.”

“So I hear.”

She was clearing the dishes away after dinner when Mr. Stevens joined her in the kitchen. She groaned inwardly since that meant her dad was going to be _grilling_ Eddie in the living room. They were both going to need serious therapy after this.

He leaned against the counter with what she assumed was his ‘ _intimidation_ stare.’ “So you and my son have been friends for a very long time.”

“Yep.”

“You’ve been good for each other.” Mr. Stevens continued when Fia didn’t say anything else. “He’s joining the Alliance.”

“I know.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t sign up with him. You two, for living so far apart, seem inseparable.” He was watching her intently. “Not interested in the Alliance?”

“No.”

“Am I intimidating you?”

“You’re trying to.” Fia turned around with the dirty plate in her hand. “Why?”

“Consider it a test you passed with flying colors.” He smiled at her for the first time. “You’ve been a good friend to my son. I appreciate it.”

She didn’t get a chance to say anything in response. Eddie rushed in to grab her arm and drag her out of apartment. She could hear her dad’s chuckle in the living room which didn’t bode well for whatever he’d been discussing with her friend.

“Parents.”

“ _Parents,_ ” Eddie agreed with a groan. “Never kissing you ever again.”

“What the hell did he say to you?” Fia had to stop walking when she couldn’t control her laughter.

“I hate you.”

“Nah.” She grinned at him. “Wait a fucking second. We’re outside, alone on Elysium with no parents. They stayed behind.”

Eddie’s grimace turned into a grin as wide as hers. “What do you have in mind?”

“Ever driven a skycar?”

_From: David Anderson_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: Teenagers._

_Are you missing two teenagers by any chance?_

_I have them. I’d send them back but I’m not sure they’ll go on their own. They’ve had a bit of a scare though so maybe they’ll behave themselves._

_David_

_P.S. You still owe me dinner. I have ideas on dessert though._

The things Hackett imagined while he and Major Stevens made their way across Elysium to the Alliance depot were varied and all equally terrifying. The two teenagers were sitting outside on the curb with equally glum looks on their faces. The only sign something had happened was a newly healed scar on Fia’s neck and a rip on her hoodie.

He started toward them only to spot Anderson waving him into the office. The two men stepped inside and left the teens to _stew_ in their guilt for a little longer. Anderson offered them both a glass of scotch.

“Why do we need the hard stuff?” Hackett asked.

“They were involved in a fight.” Anderson held his hand up to stop the two men from rushing back outside. “Hear me out before you yell at either of them.”

“Well?”

Anderson explained the teens had decided _not_ to steal shuttle. They’d left the shuttles they were thinking about _borrowing_ and wandered across the street to check out the new games at the arcade. A group of teenagers had started harassing them. Eddie tried to intervene but Fia ended up in the middle of the brawl.

With a shake of his head, Hackett asked for the real damn story. He knew there was no way in hell his daughter had been dragged into a fight. If someone was picking on her or Eddie, she would’ve thrown herself into the fight on her own without help. Anderson handed the _official_ report to him.

“David.”

“It’s the story all of the teens told. Ask them if you don’t believe me,” Anderson shrugged.

Hackett left the two men to talk more and walked outside. He sent Eddie into the office while he sat on the curb next to Fia. She had her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line and her jaw clenched which made the bruise he’d missed earlier stand out even more.

“What happened?”

“Anderson told you already.” She still didn’t look at him.

“Fia?” He shifted along the curb until he could wrap his arm around her shoulder. His annoyance turned to concern when she hissed in pain. “I want two things and I want them _now_ , kid. I want to know what all of your injuries are and I want the truth about the fight. Anderson’s report is full of shit and we both know it.”

“Dad.”

“ _Now._ ”

Fia refused to look at him or speak. He was getting to the end of his patience when a quiet cough drew his attention. Stevens motioned him back over. Hackett frowned at Eddie when he ducked by him to join his daughter again.

“I was…”

“You need to see this.” Stevens grabbed him by the shoulder to guide him toward a nearby terminal. “The owner of the arcade sent over footage from his security camera. It tells a slightly different story than the teenagers did.”

They watched as a group of older teenage boys harassed a much younger kid who’d been playing one of the games. They shoved the kid around, stole his credit chit. Fia had launched herself into the middle of the fray when she’d seen them knock him to the ground.

It had devolved into a free for all. Hackett kept the fact that he was damn proud of Fia for not only standing up for the little boy but holding her own in the fight. Eddie had been right beside her. His opinion of the young man went up quite a bit.

“Go easy on them.” Anderson held out a datapad to Hackett. “I had one of our medics take a look at both of them. Eddie escaped relatively uninjured. Fia’s pretty bruised up and has the one cut on her that you saw.”

One the way out of the office, Hackett paused in the doorway when he noticed the little kid from the vid run up to the teens on the curb. He muttered something Hackett couldn’t hear then ran off. Fia nudged Eddie with her elbow and they grinned at each other.

“So…how about cupcakes?” Hackett held his hand out to help Fia to her feet. He touched the scar. “I’m proud of you.”

“What…shit…there was a vid wasn’t there?” Fia grumbled. “I knew I should’ve hacked into the guy’s security system.”

“We’ll talk about _that_ later.” He shook his head at her. “Incorrigible kid.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: Vido S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: Eighteen._

_Happy Eighteenth Birthday._

_You're an adult now._

_Your old man might not appreciate my sharing this with you, but I always told him I'd do it when you were an adult._

_I’m not willing to risk sending this over the extra-net. I’ll leave it in a dead-drop on Elysium._

_Vido_

* * *

 

Fia felt a massive sense of trepidation as she stepped into the arcade. She made her way beyond the familiar game machines until she reached the hallway that led to the restrooms. She stepped into the women’s to find the very last stall and found the small data disc taped to the vent above it.

Clutching the disc in her hand, Fia considered her options carefully. Vido was a lying, manipulative jerk at the best of times. He might not _intentionally_ want to hurt her, but he would hurt her father.

Bounty hunting had turned fairly profitably for Hackett. They’d recently taken a few jobs that had cut out the Suns. Vido wouldn’t like that one little bit. Fia had wondered at the time if he would strike back at her dad.

Her curiosity eventually took over her self-control. Fia scanned the disc with her omni-tool. She found a few messages she immediately disregarded as fake. The vid-recording wasn’t so easy to dismiss.

She played it six times before she managed to force herself out of the bathroom stall. The vid had contained a conversation between her dad and Vido. A date-stamp on the info told her it was taken when she was three years old.

In the vid, her dad mentioned a message from Patricia about the fact she’d had a daughter three years ago. She wanted support from him. He’d claimed at the time it couldn’t possibly be his and refused to send money. Fia remembered her fourth birthday quite clearly. It was the day after her mother had married Dusan.

The toy cruiser had been a gift Fia received on her third birthday. She’d found the box in the trash and snuck it to her room. She had found a note inside wishing her happy birthday from _dad_. It was the first time she had heard anything about her father.

_Damn Vido._

She ran all the way across town to their apartment. Her dad glanced up when she stormed into the living room. He was on his feet with concern in his eyes almost immediately.

“Is this true?” She threw the disc in his face. “Is the vid on that true? Did you really know about me when I was three and do nothing?”

His face blanched immediately. “Fia…I…”

“Oh god. It’s true.” She felt like she was going to be sick. “You could’ve…she married that bastard the following year. You could’ve kept me from…I can’t deal with this.”

“Fia.”

Her knowledge of the back alleys on Elysium and her free-running practice made it impossible for Hackett to keep up with her. Fia went straight to the sky-port and snuck onto the first flight. She didn’t even know where it was headed until it was going through the relay.

_The Citadel._

With a quick message to Wrex who it turned out was on the Citadel, Fia had somewhere to stay at least for a few days. She didn’t know what to do. She needed advice…good advice…Wrex was likely to just tell her to get drunk and work for him.

_Not helpful._

Anderson was out since his first contact would be to her father. Fia wasn’t ready to face him yet. She certainly had no intentions of messaging Vido again. She’d been a stupid fool to stay in contact with him. The only other person she could think of was Eddie’s dad.

* * *

 

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: Citadel_

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: James Stevens_

_FH: Hi._

_JS: Fia? Eddie’s at basic training._

_FH: I know._

_JS: Is everything all right? It’s pretty late at night._

_FH: I…this was a mistake. Never mind._

_JS: Fia. Take a few deep breaths.   I’m guessing something happened, and you can’t talk to your dad. I have an open door policy with Edward. If he’s ever in trouble, he can come to me for help or advice and I always promise not to judge him or be angry. I offer the same to you._

_JS: What’s going on?_

_FH: Did Eddie ever tell you about my mom?_

_JS: No._

_FH: Oh._

_JS: I’m on a ship that’s in Citadel space at the moment. If I promise not to contact your father or try to bring you back to him, would you agree to meet with me to talk about everything in person? I’d like to make sure you’re safe and fed. It’s a dad thing, humor me._

_FH: Will you keep your promise?_

_JS: Yes._

_FH: I’ll be on the Presidium by the fountains. There may or may not be a very large Krogan in red armor with me. He’s a friend._

_JS: A friend?_

_FH: Yes._

_User has disconnected._

* * *

 

_From: Dad_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: The Vid._

_I know you won’t come home until you’re good and ready. I could chase you down but I think it would do our relationship more harm._

_The vid that Vido sent you, and I know it had to be him so don’t try to deny it, kid. It wasn’t the whole story or the whole conversation. It was a carefully clipped part designed to make you think the worst of me._

_I slept with Patricia once. She slept with a number of Alliance marines in San Diego where she was living at the time. We were only a year out of basic. Young and hot-headed. My hesitation when she messaged me three years later was because I remembered all of the men._

_Maybe I shouldn’t be so blunt about this, but I try not to lie to you._

_The part of the conversation Vido cut out was my insisting on a paternity test. Patricia disappeared after the test was taken. I spent five years trying to find you. I knew what kind of woman she was and I wanted to make sure you were ok._

_The cruiser was something I sent to her while we were waiting for the results of the test. I never imagined it was the last thing I’d get to send you for five damn years._

_I love you, kid._

_Let me know you made it to the Citadel safe, and yes, I know that’s where you went. I’m guessing Wrex is there._

_Dad_

* * *

 

_From: Steven Hackett_

_To: Vido Santiago_

_Subj: Run._

_You better run._

_You better run somewhere that I can’t find you. You better bury yourself behind so many mercenaries that my bullets miss you._

_I told you to leave us the hell alone._

_Steven_

* * *

 

“C’mon, Little Pyjack, it can’t be that bad.” Wrex patted her on the back and sent her flying off of the bench. “Oops.”

“ _Wrex._ ” Fia got to her feet and glared at him. “I am not a damn Krogan.”

“You are kinda puny.” He grabbed her shoulder and dragged her down on the bench. “Want some ryncol?”

“Sure.” Fia figured alcohol might make things clearer. “Why the hell not?”

_One shot later._

_She knew why the hell not._

“Do I want to know how you managed to get yourself admitted to the hospital?” Mr. Stevens stood by her hospital bed.

“Ryncol.”

“It was a rhetorical question.” He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “I’ll pretend you didn’t tell me you drank a substance that can knock even a Krogan down.”

“Whatever works for you.” Fia sat up slowly with a groan. Her head felt like it had been slammed repeatedly into a wall and she had personal experience with how that felt. “Where’s Wrex?”

“Temporarily detained.”

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t let me talk to you.” Eddie’s dad pulled a chair up to sit beside the bed. “I just mentioned to C-Sec he might’ve been snooping around. He’ll be out in an hour or two.”

“Sneaky.”

“I’m a parent.” He reached out to stop her fidgeting fingers. “So tell me what happened?”

She rolled her shoulders trying to ease the tension when it failed to work she plunged straight into the story from the beginning. She wasn’t sure why it was so easy to talk to Eddie’s dad, but she ended up telling him things even her own father didn’t know about her time with Patricia. Her story ended with the vid Vido had sent to her.

Mr. Stevens jaw clenched tightly as he watched the vid. He asked her if her dad had responded to it when she showed it to him. She’d run before he had a chance, but she told him about the message she received from Hackett.

“So you ran to the Citadel?”

“I ran to the nearest fucking ship.” Fia snapped at him. She winced when he sat up straighter in his chair, never a good sign. “Sorry.”

“I imagine you have a hell of a hangover at the moment, and a hell of a heart ache.” Mr. Stevens reached out to pick up the aspirin from a nearby tray and handed it to her with a glass of water. “I can help with the first one.”

Fia stared at the pills in her hand. “Do you think…I just keep thinking of all the really screwed up shit that Dusan did…and how if he’d just come for me soon it wouldn’t have happened.”

Mr. Stevens went from the chair to sit on the bed beside her. He wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. “I’ll tell you a secret about being a dad. I’d wager he spends every damn night wondering the same thing. I bet it haunts him even now. You can’t spend your life wondering what if. This is what you have, how are you going to deal with it?”

“Do you really think it haunts him?” Fia had never really stopped to think about how it felt for Hackett to find her on Omega like he had. They’d… _avoided_ talk about the details of it and maybe that had been a mistake.

“I know it does.”

“How?”

“He’s your dad and he loves you.” He got back up to his feet and motioned for her to take the aspirin. “There’s no way in hell it doesn’t eat at him.”

“Yeah.” Fia kicked the heels of her sneakers against the hospital bed. “Why would Vido send that to me?”

“It’s the perfect storm for a man like Vido Santiago. He hurts your father. He puts a wedge between you and your father which means it’s easier for him to get to you.” Mr. Stevens offered his hand to help her off of the bed. She ignored it and hopped down herself. “I’ve known both your father and Vido a very long time. Vido has been holding on to that to use it at the right moment. You’re eighteen now. If you leave your dad, Vido knows Steven has no legal way to force you back home.”

“Shit.” Fia ran her fingers through her hair a few times. “Shit. I’m such an idiot.”

“Just young.”

“Same difference?” Fia grinned at him. “Should I go home?”

“I can’t answer that question for you.” He squeezed her shoulder lightly when she glared at him. “Listen, I think you need to give your father a chance to tell his side of the story.”

“Think I can feasibly sneak onto another ship?”

“How about I give you a ride to Elysium?” He guided her toward the nearest skycar terminal.

“Mr. Stevens?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.” Fia nudged his arm with her elbow. “You’re not half-bad for a parent.”

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: Seriously._

_All the options in the world and you called my father?_

_I’m glad he helped you out._

_Boot camp sucks. Send food._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

Major Stevens had sent Hackett a message the minute his ship left the Citadel. It had given him several hours to wonder how Fia would respond to everything. He spent the time pacing in their home. He finally made his way to the sky-port to wait there.

A familiar blue haired teenager came running out of an Alliance ship an hour later. Fia dashed by him then slid to a stop. She glanced over at him then down at the little bag in his hand. He’d stopped by her favorite bakery to pick up a couple of chocolate explosion cupcakes.

“Cupcakes?” Fia snatched the bag then opened the top to peer inside. She spun around looking for something then grabbed his sleeve to drag him over to a bench in a nearby park. She dropped down on it and immediately pulled out one of the cupcakes to hand to him then the second one for her own. “Can we just eat cake and pretend nothing happened?”

“No.”

“Shit.”

“ _Ofelia_.”

“Sorry,” she sighed. She licked the frosting from her cupcake. “Do you…Mr. Stevens thinks you feel guilty about not getting me sooner. Do you?”

“Every damn day of my life.” Hackett set the cupcake back in the bag. “The moment I knew you were my daughter, I wanted you with me. I should’ve done more to find you sooner.”

She leaned over until her head rested against his arm. “I’ve been messaging Vido since we left the Suns…not like every day, but a couple of times a year.”

“I know.”

“What?” Fia tilted her head to look up at him in shock. “You knew?”

“I knew from the minute you made that damn stew.” He had worried about it since then as well. “You have to make your own mistakes, kid. My job is to be there to pick up all of the pieces for you when you fall.”

“Am I grounded for life?”

“No.”

Fia raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.”

She reached up to feel his forehead. “Are you sick?”

“You’re eighteen. I can’t ground you every time you do something stupid.” He laughed when she shoved him lightly. “I love you.”

“I know.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: Dad_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: re: Vivacta._

_I don’t need you to bring the bounty in. I need you to hack into his terminal in his apartment to plant the virus you created. He’s going to be on the move in a few days. I’d rather grab him when he moves into the Terminus systems._

_You can blend into the crowds in the city fairly easily, even with the damn blue hair._

_I promised to let you work this on your own, so please don’t screw it up._

_You can do this. All you have to do is bypass the security system on his apartment building, then his apartment then hack into his terminal._

_You’ve had plenty of practice doing that at the base on Elysium. And don’t look at your terminal like you don’t know what I’m talking about._

_Love you, kid._

_Dad_

* * *

 

Fia was crouched in front of the door of the apartment when a growling voice asked what the ‘bloody hell do you think you’re doing?’. She got to her feet and with a grin said ‘maintenance’. She found herself face to face with an Alliance officer, a captain by the look of his uniform. He was _hot_ with a reddish brown hair that was already greying. He had a scar across one side of his face that just added to his attraction.

“Maintenance?” He raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. “You don’t look like a goddamn maintenance worker.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m being dishonest?” Fia grinned at him.

“I’m calling you a goddamn liar, Imp.” He shot back at her.

“Imp? I like it.”

“Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing here?” He took a step closer to her.

“Fia.” Fia shut down her omni-tool. “My name is Fia. I’m here to see a friend but I locked myself out.”

“Fia? Have a last name _Fia?”_ He stood in the small hallway with his arms across his chest and his legs spread wide as if he were trying to fill the space to intimidate her. “What’s your last name, Imp?”

 _“_ Hackett.”

“Hackett?” The man’s eyes hardened almost instantly. “Related to Steven Hackett?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t look like a goddamn Blue Sun.” He rubbed his finger along the scaring on his face. “You’re too goddamn beautiful and young to be a merc.”

“I’m not.” Fia wondered if he knew her father. “My dad left the Blue Suns…because of me. He’s a bounty hunter, a _legal_ one.”

“Hmm.”

“So who the hell are you?”

“Zaeed Massani, Alliance.” Zaeed grinned at her. “I wouldn’t tell him that we’ve met. Your _friend_ is already in Alliance custody. He was stealing weapons and trading them for a profit.”

“Shit.”

“Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry at all.

“I’ll just be…” Fia glanced down at the arm that he stretched out to block her path. “Something I can do for you?”

“How old are you?” His eyes were filled with an intenseness that made Fia want to do something drastic like shove him into the fountain outside…or kiss him. He frowned further when she started to laugh. “What the bloody hell are you laughing at?”

Fia ducked under his arm and sauntered away from him. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m twenty.”

“Get your ass back here.” Zaeed jogged toward her. He caught up to her easily since she was still walking at a leisurely pace. “Why did your father leave the Suns?”

“None…” Fia found herself shoved up against a nearby wall. “Watch it, asshole.”

“I can arrest you right this moment for attempting to break into Alliance housing.” He leaned in until she could feel his breath against her cheek. “Why did he leave the Suns?”

“Short version?” Fia tilted her head to the side to avoid his lips. “Vido was making decisions he didn’t like. Dad didn’t want me around some of the new batarian Suns. And then Vido tried to kill my dad, shot me instead. What’s your issue with my dad?”

“I don’t like his friends.”

“Vido isn’t a friend.” Fia winced when his hands gripped her even tighter. She grinned up at the angry man in front of her. “You’re kinda fucking hot when you’re all ticked off and shit.”

His hands fell away from her arms. “Vido shot you.”

Fia dragged the zipper of her hoodie down. She shoved it off of her to reveal the tank-top she wore underneath. The scar on her upper body became immediately visible. Zaeed ran the tip of his finger along it and she slammed her fist into his chin. He fell to the floor.

She winked down at him then ran toward the stairwell. She took the stairs three at a time until she finally reached the lobby and the main doors to the building. The adrenaline rush pushed her down the block until she reached the sky-car she’d stashed in an alley.

“Well…shit.” She groaned when she realized her hoodie was still on the ground beside the Alliance officer. _The hot Alliance officer._ “Damn it.”

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Hot Older Men._

_What the hell do you mean you met a hot guy who tried to arrest you?_

_Do I know who Zaeed Massani is? Is that a rhetorical question?_

_He’s not a Captain. He’s an Admiral. He’s…one of the…let me put it this way, he’s kind of a rock star. He shot up through the ranks incredibly quickly. He’s the youngest officer to make admiral…ever._

_Did you kiss him?_

_You should definitely have kissed him._

_I met him once a while back. He knows my dad from the First Contact War, I think. He had dinner at our place._

_Kiss him._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

_From: Fia H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: re: kissing._

_I punched him._

_Does that count?_

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Kissing._

_You. Punched. Admiral. Massani._

_You are my hero._

_Can I have your autograph?_

_Eddie_

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Hoodie._

_You left something behind._

_Would you like it back?_

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Six months._

_I’m not used to people ignoring my messages._

_Something I said?_

_Answer my goddamn message._

_Zaeed_

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a two chapter day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: Shep._

_Remember my friend Shep?_

_He’s heading to Elysium for shore-leave for a few days.   Want to show him around? Try not to kiss him. He’s been kissing damn near everything that walks. You might catch something._

_Take him out for dinner. You’re bored waiting for your dad to come back from Omega anyway. Why wouldn’t he let you go? I keep telling you to join the Alliance. You wouldn’t have to worry about your dad controlling your work._

_Later,_

_Eddie_

_P.S. My father wants me to tell you he broke his terminal. Can you fix it? Don’t shoot the messenger._

* * *

 

Fia shook her head at the message from Eddie. She’d fixed Mr. Stevens terminal about ten times in the past two years. He wasn’t very savvy when it came to technology. She figured it was the least she could do for him.

With Shep heading to Elysium, Fia figured at least she had someone to entertain her for a while. Hackett had been on Omega for a month working on a job. He refused to let her work on Omega. It was about the only rule he’d placed on her once she turned eighteen and started really working bounties with him.   As long as she continued her online course work to get her education, he didn’t seem to mind if she channeled her hacking skills into his bounty hunting business.

Her father was nothing if not a practical man.

Shep didn’t _want_ to be entertained. It was something Fia learned the moment he met her at the sky-port. He seemed to hold a grudge over the fact she picked Eddie over him when they were sixteen. He headed straight for the nearest bar.

 _Asshole_.

Shrugging it off, Fia started to head home when an explosion in the distance near the Alliance compound on the colony caught her attention. She noticed several shuttles starting to land in the distance. A quick hack with her omni-tool told Fia everything she needed to know.

The colony was under attack. They’d had a few raids here and there in the past few months, but nothing significant. Nothing like what happened to the poor farmers on Mindoir at least. Fia sent an emergency hail to the Alliance and then sent a second one to anyone in the colony that could help. She managed to get the message through to several vacationing officers, including Shepard.

Six hours into the raid, Fia was exhausted from running from one end of the colony to the other and back.   She’d been on the go since it started.   She’d spent most of the time hacking the attackers’ comms, even while running her fingers danced across her omni-tool. It was the only thing she could do to help. She was for once glad her dad insisted on her having armor stored in an easy to reach location.

_It had stopped a bullet from one of the batarians._

Shep became a little less of an asshole as he rallied everyone. Fia found herself impressed with his ability to draw people to him and lead them.   Between the two of them, they’d bought enough time for the Alliance to come in for the rescue.

She sat on a curb outside of a bar drinking water when Shep raced up to her. “Where’s the fire?”

“Admiral Massani is here.” Shep dragged Fia over to a familiar figure stepping out of an Alliance shuttle. He saluted the Admiral then gestured toward Fia. “She’s the civilian I mentioned in my report. She hacked the comms of the enemy forces to keep them confused. With them unable to coordinate their attack, it made holding them up much easier.”

“Is hacking another one of your goddamn talents, Ms. Hackett?” Admiral Massani stepped towards her. He spared a glance at the marine standing next to her. “You’re dismissed, Lieutenant Shepard.”

Fia barely got to wave at Shepard as he jogged off to join a group of soldiers nearby who were taking part in a debrief of some sort. Her eyes focused on the man in front of her. She liked the way his armor fit him. He called her a foolish Imp for risking her life.   Her grin seemed to piss him off even more.

_So she laughed at him_

His response was immediate and forceful. He grabbed her by the waist and shoved her back against a nearby shuttle. She couldn’t seem to stop her laughter when he demanded to know why she’d ignored him.

“I never liked that hoodie all that much,” Fia shrugged casually.

“Bloody Imp.” He yanked her forward until their armor clanked together. “You’re a goddamn menace.”

Her smart retort was muffled by a crushing kiss. Fia felt his lips curve up into a smile and hers did the same in response. She’d kissed her fair share of _boys_. She’d slept with one of them. Zaeed Massani didn’t feel or taste like any of them.

She grabbed his neck to hold him still when he started to pull away. “Who the hell said we were finished?”

“Imp.”

“ _Ofelia Hackett_.”

Her head fell back against the shuttle as she uttered a loud groan. “Hey Mr. Stevens.”

“Hey? Hey?” Eddie’s Dad grabbed her arm to drag her away from Zaeed. “ _Admiral_.”

 _“Major._ ”

Fia stumbled along behind _Major Stevens_ as he walked briskly towards a nearby hotel. He had a firm hand on her wrist. He muttered the entire way about ‘damn teenagers kissing every damn one.’ She tried to point out she was twenty-one, but he wasn’t interested in _facts_.

“Where are we going?” Fia finally dug her heels in to halt his forward momentum. “What the hell is the rush? I’ve been running for damn near twelve hours straight. I refuse to be carted around by some insane parental type.”

Mr. Stevens didn’t get a chance to respond to her. Zaeed caught up to them. He berated the _Major_ for interrupting him in the middle of a _private_ moment. He turned his attention to Fia next just as _her own father_ arrived.

_Well, shit._

“Hi Dad.” Fia distracted her father with a well-timed hug.   She tried to lead him _away_ from the Alliance officers but he wasn’t interested. “So…how was Omega?”

“ _Ofelia_.”

“What?” She blinked innocently up at Hackett. “I didn’t invite a raid on Elysium. In fact, I helped stop the damn thing. So you can’t yell at me for that.”

“Fine.” He glanced over at the two men. “It’s been a long time, Massani.”

“Not bloody long enough,” Zaeed responded sharply.

“Nice to see you both.” Fia sent a pleading look to Eddie’s Dad while she tried to pull her father away. She glanced over her shoulder at Zaeed with a grin. “You owe me a damn medal.”

“What the hell for?” He shot back.

Hackett grabbed her by the arm and this time _he_ was the one leading her away from the two Alliance officers. “I leave you alone for a month and you’re in the middle of a raid and hanging around with Zaeed Massani.”

“A good day all around then.”

 _“Ofelia._ ”

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Medal._

_What the bloody hell do I owe you a medal for?_

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Medal._

_For saving your ass._

_Oh and I did a pretty amazing job helping your marines during the raid._

_I don’t really care about medals._

_How about another kiss?_

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: James Stevens_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Zaeed Massani._

_I won’t tell your father because those two idiots don’t need to get into another brawl. They’re too old for that kind of thing._

_I feel I should warn you that Zaeed Massani isn’t a man to be played with. He’s a good man, but he’s a hard and driven one._

_You are old enough to make your own decisions. Just… think carefully before you start kissing him in the middle of the street._

_James_

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Raid._

_So…let me get this straight. You’re weekend comprised of playing tour guide, helping save the colony and kissing Zaeed Massani._

_I crawled in the dirt._

_For hours._

_I dislike you immensely at the moment._

_Eddie_


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: Wrex_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: Batarians._

_Did you upset them again? Hack another system of theirs?_

_Crazy little pyjack._

_Wrex_

* * *

 

The higher ranking Alliance officers hung around on Elysium for several days after the Blitz. Lieutenant Shepard was getting a damn medal. The only thing Fia received from anyone was a series of lectures by her father about saying out of trouble. He also made a point to ensure she understand Zaeed Massani should be avoided at all costs.

Which was why after grabbing a bag of cheese doodles from the kitchen, Fia left the house around two in the morning. She was simply too bored and restless to sleep. It didn’t take much to find where on the Alliance outpost Zaeed’s temporary quarters were. She simply hacked into the security terminal to find which apartment had been assigned to him.

For an intimidating and competent Admiral, Zaeed slept fairly soundly. Fia managed to sneak into his quarters and remove the clip from the weapon resting on the nightstand beside his bed without waking him. She tossed the clip into one of the drawers of the dresser standing directly across from the foot of the bed. She hopped up to sit on top of the dressed then pulled out the bag of cheese doodles from her hoodie pocket. She flicked one of the doodles at his head. It took half of the bag to wake him up.

Zaeed shot up in bed when one of the ‘food bombs’ hit him on the nose. He grabbed his pistol and fired in her direction. Fia watched in amusement as he frowned down at his weapon when nothing happened. He seemed to almost forget she was there as he twisted the gun from side to side.

She threw another cheese doodle at his head. “I think your weapon is lacking in bullets. Have that problem often, Admiral? Is your gun prone to misfiring?”

“ _Imp._ ”

“You really should look into improving the security at Alliance outposts.” Fia munched casually on one of the crunchy morsels. “I’m hungry and bored. We should have breakfast.”

“It’s three in the goddamn morning,” he growled angrily at her.

“Congratulations, you can accurately tell time.” Fia waved the bag in her hand at him. “We’ll get the best table at the diner.”

“It is three in the bloody morning.” Zaeed glared at her while setting his pistol aside. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Eating cheese doodles.” She held the bag out toward him. “Want one?”

He plucked a handful of them from the bed. “I seem to already have half of the fucking bag.”

“See? I’m a kind and sharing sort of girl.” Fia grinned as his scowl deepened. “You’re a grumpy asshole in the morning. Don’t they train you in boot camp to be prepared for anything?”

Zaeed covered his eyes with one hand while cursing at her. “I _could_ arrest you.”

“True. Or you could stand up so I can see what you sleep in.” Fia already had a great view of his muscular and scarred chest.   She’d already seen the Alliance tattoo on his neck but the ones on his arms and chest were new to her. “Boxers? Briefs? A thong?”

He smirked at her then shoved the covers away.

_Nude certainly looked good on the man._

“Eyes up here, Imp.”

“I’m pretty happy with where they are at the moment.” Fia got an even better view when he stood up. His cock seemed happy to see her. “Does it do tricks?”

Fia ate a handful of cheese doodles while Zaeed tried to process her question. He finally strode across the room toward her. His fingers captured her knees to force her legs apart enough he could press between them. He bent forward until she felt his nose brush against hers.

“Don’t goddamn play with me, Imp.” His fingers tightened on her legs. “You’re a bloody menace.”

“Would coffee make you less grumpy?” Fia tilted her head enough so she could bite the tip of his nose. “I’ll buy you breakfast.”

With his fingers under her chin, Zaeed eased her head further back until their lips connected. He clearly wanted to be in control of the kiss by the way he held her and his tongue pressed into her mouth. Fia brushed her fingers off on her jeans to remove the cheesy crumbs then let them drift up his upper body. He grunted against her mouth when she flicked his nipple hard.

“Imp.”

 _“Breakfast.”_ Fia flicked him harder then eased away from him…and his tempting mouth. “I refuse to screw around more until we’ve had at least one damn meal together.”

“Did you break into my quarters just to drive me fucking crazy?” Zaeed shoved away from her to walk over to a kit bag on a nearby chair. He pulled out a fresh set of clothes.

“Pretty much.”

The gruff Admiral dressed down in jeans and an N7 t-shirt that fit him a little too well for Fia’s attempts to control her urge to drag him over to his bed. She led him away from the Alliance compound into the main part of the colony. It took twenty minutes to walk over to her favorite twenty-four hour diner. He told her about growing up on Earth with his grandparents. She hesitantly gave him a brief and incomplete history of her life before her dad found her.

“And Steven?”

Fia glanced up as they stopped outside the diner door. “He came to my rescue. He’s my fucking hero.”

“He…”

Fia covered his mouth with her hand. “I realize Vido shot you in the face that would piss anyone off. Did my dad have the gun in his hand? If not, I really don’t give a shit. And I don’t think you really want to spend breakfast with me talking about _my father_.”

“He might have something to say about us having breakfast.” Zaeed pulled her hand from his mouth.

Fia grinned widely up at him. “He’d be lost if he didn’t have something to be upset about when it comes to his daughter.”

They spent two hours at the diner having breakfast and coffee. _Lots of coffee._    Zaeed wanted to know what Fia planned to do with her future. She shrugged and asked what he planned to do with his. She had already finished up her degree program via the extra-net and intended to invest her efforts into growing her dad’s bounty hunting business.

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: You have lost your mind._

_You broke into the Alliance compound…again. Didn’t your dad threaten all sorts of terrible things if you did that again? And you had breakfast three in the morning with Admiral Massani._

_Can I have your life? It’s so much more interesting than what I’m doing at the moment._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

Hackett woke at five in the morning to an empty house. The trouble with having an adult daughter was he couldn’t ground her or tell her not to leave. He contemplated going out to look for her, but decided against it. He received a message while he was still making coffee from one of the waitresses at their favorite diner. His wayward child was apparently having breakfast with one of the Alliance officers since it probably Lieutenant Shepard he decided to leave them alone.

Three cups of coffee into the process of waking up, Hackett heard voices outside of the apartment building. He walked out to the balcony and glanced down in time to see a man walking away. He heard Fia’s footsteps on the stairs. The man in the distance didn’t look like Shepard.

“Dad?”

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Who was that?”

“Who was what?” Fia grinned at him.

“ _Ofelia_.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.” She winked at him then disappeared inside the house.

_Damn it._

* * *

 

_From: Vido Santiago_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Zaeed Massani._

_Does your father know you’ve been sneaking into officer’s quarters in the early hours of the morning? Think he’d be pleased to see it?_

_You haven’t messaged me in a while. You missed my birthday._

_Something I said?_

_I saw you on the ANN report after the Blitz. You’ve grown into a beautiful woman._

_Vido_

* * *

 

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Vido Santiago_

_Subj: re: Zaeed Massani._

_If you want to reach your next birthday, I’d suggest you stay the fuck away from me._

_Fia_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: James Stevens_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Eddie._

_I thought you would want to know. Eddie and his unit were on Akuze when they were attacked by something. We’re not sure yet. He suffered serious burns to his back and legs. He also injured his right arm pretty badly._

_He’s at a trauma unit on Arcturus._

_I know how Steven feels about the Alliance and Arcturus, but it would do Eddie the world of good to see you._

_Let me know. I can send a transport to Elysium for you if you have trouble finding one on such short notice._

_James_

* * *

 

Fia booked the first ticket she could get on a transport heading out of Elysium. The ship hit the relay and _then_ she realized she hadn’t mentioned leaving to her dad. _Shit._ He wasn’t impressed with her short message or the fact she _bailed_ on the job he’d wanted her to handle on the Citadel.

_He understood._

_It was never good when Hackett ‘understood.’_

Shrugging it off, Fia focused on doing a little research on the _job_ to prep for when she was finished on Arcturus. She sighed in annoyance when she realized it was yet _another_ easy information grab. For the past two years, her dad had been sending her on the easiest and safest mission he could find. Every single one just happened to be in Alliance space on Alliance colonies near Alliance outposts.

On a hunch, Fia hacked into her dad’s business messages. It didn’t take her long to discover he hired another hacker for the _less safe, less savory_ jobs. _The over-protective asshole_. She sent him a message from himself with the subject ‘busted’ and told him to take his aggravation at her heading to Arcturus without telling him and shove it.

She thought he trusted her to work bounties with him. He clearly didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth about the jobs. She knew her way around weapons and how to keep herself safe. She’d been running the alleys of Omega long before her father came to rescue her.

The more logical part of her brain told her some of the anger in her was likely to do with her worry over Eddie’s condition. Fia never liked to listen to logic. She wanted anger to keep the fear away, so she channeled her rage into thinking of a way to separate from her dad.  

They clearly couldn’t work together much longer. She needed to be respected for her work, not coddled like a child. She wanted to make her father proud and now she felt like a stupid little ten year old chasing after him like a hero worshipper.

_Fuck it._

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Wrex_

_Subj: Freelance Work._

_Remember when you suggested I start my own business offering my hacking skills to information brokers, bounty hunters and anyone else willing to hire me?_

_Do you still think it’s a good idea?_

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Steven Hackett_

_To: David Anderson_

_Subj: Advice._

_I screwed up with Fia and I don’t know how to unscrew it._

_Have dinner with me tonight?_

_I need some sage advice._

_Steven_

* * *

 

Fia walked blindly out of the airlock. Her attention focused on her omni-tool as she tried to figure out how to get to the Washington Memorial Hospital. It apparently had the best burn trauma unit in the Alliance. She perused a map of Arcturus while moving forward…straight into a hard body.

“Lost, Imp?”

She tilted her head up to find Zaeed staring sternly down at her. She turned her arm so he could see the map. “Distracted.”

“Who’s in the hospital?

“Eddie Stevens.” Fia shut her omni-tool down when Zaeed took her by the arm to lead her towards a nearby shuttle services. “He was injured on Akuze.”

“Ahh.” His stare was starting to disconcert her. He had a ready answer when she asked what the hell his problem was. “Never seen you so goddamn serious.”

“Bite me.” Fia sat down in one of the seats in the shuttle. “It’s been a long fucking day.”

He scratched the stubble on his jaw for a moment. “More than Lieutenant Stevens being hurt?”

“What’s my one rule?”

“Imp.”

“No kissing if we talk about my damn father.” Fia had made up the one rule she stuck to a couple of months into _seeing_ Zaeed.

Admiral Massani spent most of his time on Arcturus. Fia had really only spent a hand full of days with him in the six months since the Blitz. She called their relationship casually kissing. Eddie called her an idiot since men like Massani didn’t do _anything_ casually.

“We can make a goddamn exception, Imp. What has you so upset?” He reached out for her and frowned when she ducked under his arm. His frown deepened when he realized she’d cuffed him to the railing in the shuttle when he hadn’t been paying attention. “ _Imp._ ”

“Sorry, this is my stop.” Fia grinned at him then. She always felt better when she could piss someone off. “Enjoy the ride.”

She stood outside of the tram while the doors closed and it moved down the line. She waved at Zaeed and winked while he could still see her then turned to head into the hospital. The laughter died away slowly as she found Mr. Stevens in serious conversation with a couple of doctors outside of one of the rooms in the burn unit.

“Is he…”

“Alive.” Mr. Stevens stepped between the doctors to walk over to her. He pulled her into a hug. “He was very seriously injured. Go in and see him while I finish up with his doctors.”

Fia hadn’t really known what to expect when she stepped into the hospital room. The sight of Eddie unconscious on the bed took away all the happy feelings from leaving Zaeed cuffed in a shuttle. She wandered over to the bed. Her first thought was her buddy dwarfed the bed with his tall and broad frame. It was an absurd thought and she laughed again.

His eyes flickered then opened and familiar brown eyes met hers. “Hey.”

“Hey?” She rolled her eyes as she leaned against his bed. “So…come here often?”

“Ow, don’t make me laugh.” He winced while trying to sit up.

“Should you be doing that?”

“No fucking clue.” Eddie gritted his teeth for a few minutes until he finally found a comfortable way to sit. “They’re going to discharge me, I heard them talking earlier.”

“Fake sleeping to avoid the inevitable?”

“Pretty much.”

“Coward.

“Bitch,” he grunted when she flicked his hand. “Ow, I’m injured.”

“I’ll injure you.” She had a sudden idea. “You know, I’m thinking about going into business for myself. I might need…brawn to go with my brain. How about it?”

“We’d kill each other in like a day.” Eddie glanced over at the dog tags sitting on the table beside the bed. “What about your dad?”

“What about yours?”

“Fair point.”

“They’ll kill us before we kill ourselves.” Fia didn’t plan to tell her dad a damn thing. If he could keep secrets, so could she.

“That pretty much guarantees we’re going to do it.” He shoved her arm and she stumbled just as Eddie’s dad walked into the room. He immediately frowned at the two of them. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m injured.”

“Can you two at least pretend that you aren’t teenagers anymore?” Mr. Stevens heaved a huge sigh when they both shook their heads. “Why do I bother?”

“You have a deep seeded desire to suffer for crimes committed in a past life?” Fia offered helpfully.

“I think it’s more that he has a compulsion to fight against the inevitable.” Eddie winked at her.

They were interrupted by the door slamming open a moment later. A furious looking Zaeed stormed into the room. He came up short when he noticed the group gathered inside. His _Admiral_ mask fell into place as he immediately moved over to _chat_ with Eddie’s dad.

“What the fuck did you do?” Eddie whispered to her.

“Cuffed him up in a shuttle.”

“Oh. My. God.” Eddie howled with laughter while holding his side. “I love you so very deeply.”

“I beg your fucking pardon?” Zaeed’s head snapped up at the same time as Eddie’s Dad said, “The hell?”

“ _Eddie_.”

“Shit.” He seemed more concerned with Zaeed than his father. “Not like that. Hell we only kissed that one time…well…then we…shutting up now.”

“He’s…delusional.” Fia’s shoulders shook violently with her own laughter. “Head trauma, very sad.”

* * *

 

_From: Dad_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: Coming home?_

_Are you coming home?_

_Ever?_

_Are you going to talk to me about this?_

_Dad_


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Three weeks.

Fia hadn’t spoken to her father in three weeks. She _had_ snuck back to Elysium into their apartment to pack a bunch of her shit, what could fit into a single bag. She barely made it to the sky-port and waiting transport without him catching her. It would’ve have been such a close call, but she couldn’t resist hacking into his terminal to make it bark every time he tried to use it.

_Hackett would not be amused._

Since Eddie was still laid up in the hospital, Fia crashed at his apartment on Arcturus. It was practically a hole in the wall, but better than staying with his father. Mr. Stevens would _not_ be an ideal roommate. _Ever._

With her fledgling hacking business already starting to take off, Fia worked jobs from Eddie’s apartment. She only took ones that could be handled remotely. She’d learned from watching her father back-up was important. The rest of the potential work would wait until Eddie had fully recovered.

Her mind shifted from the message from a client to the _lack_ of messages from Admiral Massani. He’d been an invisible ghost for the past three weeks. Fia shrugged it off. If the man couldn’t take a little laugh at his expense, she wasn’t interested in him. She decided not to worry about him.

Turning her attention to other things, Fia finally spotted the locked terminal connected to the billboards directly across from the hospital. Eddie needed to be cheered up so she’d decided to hack the signs and play his favorite Blasto vid from it. He would be able to see it from his room.

She snickered as the recruitment ad with Admiral Massani’s face flickered into a short Blasto film. She admired her handiwork for too long, a stupid, rookie mistake. She knew it the instant a strong hand grabbed her shoulder.

“ _Change it back_.”

Fia glance first at the large, calloused fingers clamped around her shoulder then up at the _large_ man in the Alliance military police uniform. _Shit_. He was a little shorter than Eddie, with broader shoulders and more heavily muscled than her bear of a best friend. His hair was military short and black. His piercing blue eyes didn’t seem to hold any hint of laughter as he glared at her.

_He was also fucking hot._

The full-sleeve tattoo she glimpsed on his right arm made her wonder if he had more tattoos anywhere else on his body. The ink she could see at the moment went up under the sleeve of his uniform all the way down to his fingers. His hand gripped her harder as he shoved her towards the terminal.

“Change it back, _now_.” He had a slight accent that made his words crisp and harsh.

“Fine, fine.” Fia grumbled as she hacked into the system to fix it. “Deprive an injured Alliance veteran of a good laugh.”

His stern scowl broke suddenly into a wide grin that completely altered Fia’s thoughts about him and his full lips. “Eddie sent me as a warning that Major Stevens and Admiral Massani noticed your little stunt. They’re on their way down here.”

“Shit.”

“Eddie thought you might want to grab lunch…with me?” He finally moved his hand from her shoulder then held it out to her. “Sergeant Dmitri Nowak, at your service.”

_She’d like him to…_

_“_ Fia Hackett.” She shook his hand then glanced around the bulk of muscle where she spotted the two high-ranking, annoyed looking officers heading their direction. “We should go… _now_.”

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Dmitri._

_Consider him a thank you for playing Blasto._

_Besides if Admiral Asshole can’t be bothered to message you or ask you out, maybe a little competition will get his ass in gear._

_You might want to…stay in my apartment for a couple of days though._

_I’ll tell Dmitri to bring you some pizza and soda._

_You know you love me._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

Instead of staying in for pizza, Fia convinced Dmitri to head over to one of the dive bars in the less than pristine section of Arcturus. They were joined by Pace, Eddie’s current boyfriend, who doctors had kicked out of the hospital. She wasn’t quite sure how they’d kicked him out; maybe the doctors were _really_ large.

Normally… _normally_ , Fia disliked drinking alcohol beyond maybe a single beer or mixed drink. It reminded her too much of the smell on Dusan’s breath. Something she’d never quite managed to shake from her mind even now.

The bar had a great vibe. It was filled with enlisted marines who were off-duty after a long tour. The live band in the far corner played to the raucous, dancing crowd so loudly Fia couldn’t understand what they were singing. She led Dmitri lead her into the middle of the crowd to sway to the music that practically vibrated through their bodies. She lost count of the hours they spent in the throng, and the number of shots they drank together.

She could feel someone watch her and thought it was likely Zaeed though she hadn’t spotted him yet.   She was about to tell Dmitri it was time to go when someone bumped into her. The jolt sent her away from her dance partner towards a larger group dancing close together.

And that was when Fia caught the oh so familiar scent of vanilla vodka. It had been Patricia’s favorite.   It was the smell she identified most with her mother.   She’d had a number of glasses and bottles thrown at her over the years. It had permeated the house, even after Dusan moved them to Omega.

Dmitri caught up to her as Fia fought her way through the dancers. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Just tired.” Fia forced herself to grin at him. “You have time for breakfast in the morning, marine?”

“I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

Fia bolted before he could say anything else. She was out of sight around the corner when she ran into the person who’d been staring at her in the bar. “Vido.”

“Miss me?”

“Sure.” Fia looked the man over from head to toe. “I missed you about as much as I’d miss a giant pus-filled zit.”

He darted forward to block her path when she started to walk away. “I understand you’ve branched out.”

“No.”

“So you don’t need work?”

“Not from you.”

Vido reached up to brush his fingers against her cheek. “And to think I used to think you were a scrawny, annoying little brat who got in my way.”

“Have I ever mentioned how annoying I still find you?” Fia shoved him away from her. “Touch me again and I’m kneeing you in the groin.”

“Why would you do that?”

She smiled at him this time. It wasn’t one of her friendly smiles either. It was the one that made her look more like her father than her mother. It was a hard smile that promised violence.   She wasn’t surprised when Vido started to take a step away from her.

“You damaged something very important to me. And you attempted to kill my father.” Fia held up her hand to stop him when he started to argue with her. “I’m not interested in working for you or with you. I’m not interested in being touched by you. Go away, and leave me alone.”

“No.” His casual shrug was full of arrogance. He strode back over toward her. “No, you see, _Ofelia_ , for all of your bluster, we both know who the real monsters in the world are. I want you to work for me so you will work for me.”

“Nope.”

The calm and charming façade Fia had always seen with Vido suddenly seemed to slide away from him.   She felt for the first time a sliver of fear in his presence. She’d never really taken her father’s warnings about the man seriously. Vido always seemed like an arrogant cousin or something. But underneath the mask he’d shown her, she finally saw the man who led one of the most ruthless mercenary organizations.

“What kind of weak ass man are you?” She resorted to taunting him like she had when she was younger.

The words had a harder edge to them, and he responded instantly by grabbing her shoulders and slamming her back against the wall. Fia brought her arm up to press against his as she twisted around trying to break his hold. She’d drunk too much though and her reflexes were slower than normal. They tumbled to the ground. Fia grunted in pain when the larger Vido crashed down on her.

She scrambled underneath for a second then suddenly he disappeared. She blinked trying to get her eyes to focus but Vido was nowhere to be seen. Dmitri knelt beside her, his hand warm and strong when he wrapped it around hers.

“I had him.”

“Of course.” He lifted her to her feet. “Just thought I’d save you the effort.”

She grabbed his arm when the world blurred again. “Fuck.”

“You don’t drink a lot, do you?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Family history.” Fia saw understanding in his eyes. “Where did he go?”

“Pace is _helping_ him onto the next transport leaving Arcturus. I believe it’s going to one of the farthest colonies. It’ll take a few hours to get there, and it’s a remote colony so it’ll be a while before he can find a ship leaving.”

“Brilliant,” Fia grinned at him. “That’s fucking brilliant.”

“I’m on duty in a few hours. Let me make sure you get home safe.” Dmitri kept his arm around her as they walked toward a nearby sky-car terminal.

“Actually.” Fia felt suddenly exhausted, but she needed to face a few things before she could sleep. “Can you take me to Major Stevens’ quarters?”

* * *

 

_From: David Anderson_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Fia._

_One of my former XOs is now on Arcturus, he is dating Eddie Stevens. He sent me a message to let me know he’d escorted Vido Santiago off of the station._

_I would’ve told you in person but I found my bed empty this morning. Does your daughter catch her constant bolting from her father? It’s starting to give me a complex, and I don’t need one of those._

_So if you have dinner with me, stay the night and actually have breakfast with me, I’ll not only tell you exactly what happened on Arcturus, but I’ll also tell you where Vido was headed._

_I am not open to negotiations._

_Dinner is at seven, bring that bottle of scotch you have hidden._

_David_

* * *

 

“There better be a hell of a reason for you to be banging on my door at 0300, Sergeant.” Mr. Stevens all but snarled at Dmitri when the door slid open. He didn’t seem to notice Fia until a second later. “Ahh. Well, that is certainly a good reason.”

“I’m not a that.” Fia grumbled at him. “Jerk.”

“ _Ofelia._ ”

“Wow, the ‘dad’ voice works even when they aren’t your dad,” Fia remarked casually to Dmitri who grinned at her. “You should leave. He can’t court-martial me.”

“Have lunch with me?”

Fia didn’t get a chance to say yes since a hand grabbed the back of her hoodie to drag her inside and the door shut in Dmitri’s face. “That was rude.”

“That boy will be mopping the head until he retires if Massani sees you with him.” Mr. Stevens watched as Fia fell back on his couch with a groan. “Are you drunk?”

“Not pleasantly so, no. Why the hell do people drink?” Fia rubbed her forehead with her fingers then stared blindly up at the ceiling. “My mom drank…every day…all the time, bottles and bottles. I don’t think I’ll do it again.”

“Why were you drinking?”

“Hot guy offered shots.” Fia grinned over at him. “I ran into Vido outside the bar. We had words, then…we had more than words. You shouldn’t be too hard on Dmitri since he dragged the asshole off of me.”

“You seem…” Mr. Stevens moved over to sit on the coffee table. “You seem very disturbed. What did he say?”

“Have you ever kept Eddie from an assignment that you thought was too dangerous?” Fia asked.

“Yes.”

She glanced over at him in surprise. “Really?”

“He was on Akuze because I called in a few favors. I thought it would be a safer assignment to that unit then sending him to a colony near the Terminus Systems.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Fathers do not always make the best decisions, Fia. We aren’t perfect. We want two things in life for the most part. Our children to be safe and happy. I know Eddie’s a mountain of a marine who can kill with is hands if needed. I’ll never stop wanting to keep him away from danger.”

“Shit.”

“The vid-comm is over there.” He pointed over his shoulder then got to his feet. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Fia dragged herself off of the couch over to the vid-comm. She sank down into the chair in front of it with a groan. It took a lot of effort to lift her arm and send the chat request to her dad. He was grumpy and disheveled when he finally answered it.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he grunted.

“Uhm.” Fia ran her fingers through her blue hair then pulled the tips down until her hair covered her eyes. “I saw Vido.”

“I was aware.”

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” He ignored her curse. “Fia?”

“I went to a bar and smelled that vanilla vodka mom used to drink.” Fia pulled her legs up with her sneakers resting on the chair. Her head tilted back to rest against the back of the chair. “I freaked out a little. I remembered her throwing bottles at me when I was like four.”

“Kid.”

“I know.” She canted her head to the side so she could still see him. “I’m not coming back, Dad.”

“Let me…”

“I need you to listen to me, please?” She waited until he nodded. “I love you.”

“Fia.”

“I love you so incredibly much for keeping me safe.” She fidgeted with the frayed edges of her jeans. “I started my own business…you can hire me. But I don’t want to just be the kid that tags along with her bounty hunter father.”

“Okay.”

Fia narrowed her eyes on him. “Okay?”

“I’m impressed with what you’ve managed to accomplish in three weeks, kid.” He smiled at the stunned look on her face. “It was never about holding you back. Just…be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And Fia?”

“Hmm?”

“Stay the hell away from attractive marines, _all_ of them.” He glared at her knowingly.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Face Reference:
> 
> Dmitri: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/87729534536
> 
> Pace(nsfw-ish image): http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/87792860861/meltdownbitchleader-kenneth-guidroz-is-so


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Interesting Night._

_Interesting?_

_Interesting?_

_That’s really the word you’re going for._

_You went out with Dmitri to a club. You had a fight with the notorious leader of the Blue Suns. And then you showed up drunk at my dad’s apartment._

_Then…to top it off, you dumped a glass of orange juice over Admiral Massani’s head when he tried to order you not to have lunch with Dmitri._

_I told Pace to bring me popcorn. I need popcorn to watch this shit happen. And why the hell couldn’t you do this shit when I was out of the hospital? I mean…honestly…I’m laid up in bed. Get vid of the crazy shit so I can at least watch it._

_Did you really dump juice on him?_

_Please tell me you did because it’s the best thing I’ve ever, ever, ever heard._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

It had not been the best of mornings for Fia. She’d woken up with a god awful hangover that made getting her head slammed against a wall seemed like nothing.   Mr. Stevens had lectured her about what happened with Vido. Zaeed showed up moments later and starting going on about her hanging out with some young punk. The shower of orange juiced shut him up temporarily.

Mr. Stevens laughed for a good twenty minutes about it while Fia made her escape from the apartment and headed back to Eddie’s place. She changed into a clean pair of jeans, a long-sleeved hoodie over her tank-top and slid her feet into her navy blue chucks. She was stepping out of the front door when she walked right into an angry look Zaeed.

“You threw juice at me.”

“I always believed in rewarding someone’s behavior with appropriate gifts.” Fia grinned at him. “You looked thirsty.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“Hmm?” She glanced down at her omni-tool to check the time. “Sorry, I’m late for lunch.”

“You can’t…”

She raised a single eyebrow at him and her lips pressed together in a thin line before she cut him off. “I can’t what? You ignored me for three weeks, and now you want to act like you own me or I _owe_ you something?”

“I wasn’t…”

“Trying to be a complete asshole? You failed.” Fia broke into a sudden grin. “I dumped juice on an Admiral. That’s like…it should go on a list of my greatest accomplishments. Right next to accidentally blowing up my dad’s sky-car.”

Zaeed massaged his temples for a few minutes then glanced over at her. “Let me make it up to you, Imp? I’ll take you out for dinner. We haven’t really had a real goddamn date, that didn’t involve you throwing things at my head.”

“Sure.” Fia danced around the hand that reached out for her. “I’m still going to lunch with the punkass marine.”

“Why?”

“I’m hungry.” Fia started ticking the reasons off on her fingers as she backed away from him slowly. “It’ll piss you off, and he’s really hot.”

“Why the hell would you want to piss me off?”

Fia stopped walking to look at him a little more seriously for a moment. “I think you’re the type of man that most people are intimidated by. And you like keeping people in check with a mere angry glance. You like control…crave it. You like control and you are driven to succeed to find more of it. I’m not interested in being controlled or intimidated. And mostly, you’re really damn sexy when you’re angry. Your eyes flash and your jaw clenches and you stand a little straighter. I almost want to drag you back into the apartment and take advantage of you.”

“Of me?”

“Yeah, but I can’t because I have a hot date.” Fia winked at him then casually sauntered away from him. “And Zaeed? If you actually _want_ a woman, you have to _show_ her you want her. I’m not a fucking mind-reader.”

“I’m…”

Fia continued walking without giving him a chance to finish his sentence. She glanced back over her shoulder and froze at the look on his face. It was gone before she deciphered it. “Zaeed?”

“Enjoy lunch with the _boy_.” His tension seemed to flow out of him. “I’ll show you what we both goddamn want though. I’ll show you and you won’t even remember he was ever bloody around.”

“Good luck with that.” Fia grinned when he started towards her practically growling at her.

He stopped himself when he was close enough to run his thumb roughly along her bottom lip. She bit his thumb then darted away to meet up with Dmitri for lunch. Her laughter bubbled up inside of her. It washed all of the drama from dealing with Vido out of her system. She couldn’t quite shake the look that had been in Zaeed’s eyes though.

An hour later Fia was storming into Zaeed’s office uninvited. She stood by his desk tapping her foot on the floor while she glared at him. He finished up the vid-conference with several of the captains in the Fifth Fleet then turned his attention to her. He raised his eyebrow at her as if to say, yes?

“You are a fucking…” Fia kicked his desk then hopped around rubbing her toe through her sneaker. “Look, you…bastard, what the hell is this we’re doing? Cause I just left a really hot marine with what looked like really good pizza to come talk to you. So…what the hell is this? You ignored me for three weeks.”

“I wasn’t _here_.”

Fia froze still holding her foot in mid-air so she toppled over. She rolled onto her back and laughed at herself. She sat up slowly and took the hand Zaeed offered to help her up. “I thought…”

“Covert mission.”

“Oh.”

“Are you more upset about the pizza or that goddamn boy?” Zaeed hadn’t released her hand. His thumb caressed lazy circles along her skin. “Well?”

“He’s really very, very attractive.” Fia laughed when he muttered something about a goddamn Imp. “I am very, _very_ hungry and the pizza smelled delicious. He looked delicious”

Zaeed’s grip on her hand tightened. “If I take you out for the bloody pizza now, will you stop talking about that fucking boy?”

“Nope.” Fia placed her free hand across his mouth when he opened it to respond. “Now, now, I thought Admirals had more control than that?”

“I don’t goddamn share.” He yanked her hand away. “I _don’t_ share.”

“Share?” Fia glanced down at herself then up at him. “Do I look like a fucking toy that needs to be shared?”

“Imp.”

“I’m hungry.” Fia ignored the heated gaze from the man in front of her. “I left pizza for you, make it worth my while.”

Zaeed didn’t get a chance to respond. The young corporal who worked as his yeoman stepped into the office after tentatively knocking to let him know he was late for a meeting.   Fia waited until the door closed leaving them alone then stepped forward with a mischievous grin she knew put the Admiral on edge. Her fingers trailed along the front of his uniform.   They danced over his belt and further down. She ran her knuckles lightly along the growing length she felt underneath his trouser until it became _obvious_ to anyone who looked he had a hard-on.

“Enjoy your meeting, _Admiral_.” Fia caressed him one last time and then wandered over to the door. “I’ll take a rain-check on the pizza. Do I get one for the boy too?”

Fia walked quickly away from his office, rounded a corner out of sight then slumped back against a nearby wall with a groan. She scratched her head then straightened out her now mussed up blue hair. Zaeed did weird things to her normally unflappable, roguish mind. She took a few deep breathes to calm her raging hormones.

_Damn bastard._

She headed out to find pizza, soda and cupcakes then snuck them into Eddie’s hospital room. “What the hell am I doing?”

Eddie glanced up from the pizza he was devouring. “Callously using me as a distraction?”

“Other than that.” She flicked a piece of cheese at him.

“Callously using Dmitri to make Admiral Massani jealous?” He dodged the chunk of crust she threw at him.

“It was your damn idea.”

“And?”

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“Asshole.” She laughed at him until a loud cough caught their attention. “Mr. Stevens.”

“I need to speak with you.” Eddie’s dad grabbed her arm to drag her out of the room. He pulled her along the hall into an empty office. “What the _hell_ are you thinking?”

Fia frowned at him. “I’m currently thinking I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Admiral Massani.”

“Is a man in serious need of fun?”

“Fia.”

“Why does everyone say my name like it’s a curse?” She grumbled.

“Be careful.” Eddie’s dad shook his head with a wry smile. “Just be careful.”

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Eight mugs of coffee had wired Fia until she was practically vibrating. She’d spent six hours working on a decryption for one of her clients. The file turned out to be names and locations of missing people so she _anonymously_ sent a tip to the Alliance about it then sent her client a _doctored_ version of the information with erroneous coordinates. It was risky, but worth the cost if it saved lives.

The clock on Eddie’s wall indicated it was ten after four in the morning. Coffee and adrenaline made it impossible to sleep, too much sugar and caffeine. Her mind raced with what might happen if her client found it she’d tricked them. She needed something to take the edge of it.

Slipping a hoodie over her tank-top, Fia shoved her feet into her sneakers. She walked toward the apartment building where the Admiral’s quarters were. She bypassed his lock and quietly made her way into his home.

It looked as _clean_ and _organized_ as his office.

It wasn’t until she reached his bedroom that the place had any personality. It was all black, greys and whites. The walls were a dark slate grey.   There were interesting statues and artwork on the walls she’d love to get a better look at in the day time.

Fia moved cautiously into the room. Zaeed snored steadily on his back with one arm flung to the side.   She contemplated kissing him then thought up a better idea. Her eyes flickered from the sleeping man to the sleek grey dress across from the bed.

The dresser took an hour to empty of all of his clothing. Fia painstakingly covered Zaeed in his own stuff one piece at a time. He disappeared under a mountain of socks, boxers and t-shirts. She left him there and retraced her steps to the kitchen.

Using _all_ of his glasses, Fia created a simple message on the kitchen floor – Hi. She added a smiley face underneath it. She stole a bottle of juice from his fridge. She started to the door and caught sight of a nice leather jacket. She threw it on over her hoodie then left his apartment as quietly as she came.

 _Time to take breakfast to Eddie_.

“What _did_ you do?” Eddie asked the minute she walked into his room. He ignored the coffee and sandwich she offered him. He was only a week away from being _released_. “Well? You did something. I know that grin.”

“Who me?” Fia told him briefly about her adventure at four in the morning.

“I can’t…”

Fia glanced up from her omni-tool when he stopped speaking to follow his amused gaze over her shoulder to where Zaeed stood. He filled the doorway and glowered down at her. He ignored the salute from Eddie and motioned for her to step into the hall with him.

“I’m quite comfortable right here.” Fia leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the edge of Eddie’s bed. “I could be here for _hours_.”

“Now, Imp.”

Fia tilted her head to look at him better. “ _Now_? Do I look like I’m in Alliance blue?”

“You look like you’re in my goddamn jacket.” He held his hand out for it.

Fia shrugged then took it off to toss over to him. She held up her sandwich to him. “Hungry?”

“Fia.” Eddie’s voice had a warning note to it.

“What?” She asked while watching Zaeed storm away. “He needs to laugh more.”

* * *

 

_From: Wrex_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: Batarians._

_What the hell are you doing working for batarians?_

_I told you to research every client you take. _

_Did you take it just to see what they had? They know you sent them false information. Watch yourself, Little Pyjack._

_I can only stop so many of the bastards when they come looking to hire me to find a hacker._

_Wrex_

* * *

 

The truth of the matter was Fia knew the client was a batarian. She took the job because she wanted to know what was in that damn encrypted file. The batarian who hired her didn’t know her name. If he would, he’d never have sent the file to her. Tarak _knew_ better. Vido would be pissed when he found out.

Her guess was that Tarak had stolen the files from slavers thinking it might have the locations of some of their supply depots hidden in the Terminus systems. Fia remembered her dad mentioning once that Vido liked to raid supplies from slavers. She always thought if he was going to raid supplies, why couldn’t he just save the people as well?

She decided not to let it worry her. If Tarak did actually know it was her, he wouldn’t have tried to hire Wrex to find her. He would’ve contacted Vido immediately then sent a group after her directly.

_A group like the one that waited for her at the end of the hallway that led to Eddie’s apartment._

_Well, shit._

Fia couldn’t really get away with carrying a pistol on Arcturus, not when she was spending so much time with Alliance officers. She had tweaked her omni-tool to make the incinerate function more power than normal. She used it to take care of several of them while slamming her fist into one of the emergency boxes on the wall usually reserved for fires.

She darted back the way she’d come only to run into a batarian. He swung his arm into her and Fia went flying over the balcony. Eddie’s floor was the fifth floor of a larger block of apartments. She clung desperately to the fourth floor balcony wall. She’d managed to snag the railing as it flew by…or as _she_ flew by.

_Her dad was going to kill her._

_If she wasn’t already dead._

Her fingers started to slip causing Fia to try to scramble up the wall. Her sneakers not allowing her enough purchase to leverage herself up over. Her wrists were suddenly grabbed and she found herself flying up into the air. She landed against an armored body with a grunt of pain.

“Imp.”

“I swear it wasn’t my fucking fault.” Fia winced when he set her down on her feet. Her body was sore from banging into the wall a few times. “Well…being tossed off of the balcony wasn’t my fault.”

Zaeed cupped her face carefully in his hands. His fingers pressed against her head when she tried to pull away. “ _Enough_.”

“Excuse you?”

“I said _enough_.” Zaeed crowded her back against a nearby door. “I watched you dangling from the goddamn…I wasn’t sure we’d get up here in time.”

“Okay?” Fia felt a little out of her depth and confused. “I was going to say thanks…you didn’t…”

He cut her off with a hard kiss that stole her breath. “I don’t want a goddamn thank you, Imp. Don’t risk your life needlessly.”

“I didn’t toss myself off of the balcony. I had help with that.” Fia grumbled against his lips. “You should laugh more.”

Zaeed rested his forehead against hers with a heavy sigh. “I don’t mind the pranks and jokes and mischief. It’s who you are, and it’s very goddamn intriguing.”

“But?”

“If you plan on taking this business you’re dabbling in seriously, you need to take your safety seriously. You can’t wander around unarmed.” Zaeed still held her against the door. “I’m taking you to get a goddamn weapon and a license to allow you to carry it. You’ve made enough to afford a good set of light armor, wear it.”

“OK, _Dad._ ” Fia rolled her eyes.

“Not my kind of kink, Imp.” Zaeed bit her bottom lip then tugged on it. “If you want to trick batarians, make sure they don’t goddamn know it’s you.”

“Fine.”

“ _Imp._ ”

“I said fine. God you really do sound like my dad.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “It’s creepy, stop it.”

“You _exhaust_ me.”

“Still sounding like him,” Fia grinned.

* * *

 

_From: Dad_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: Tarak._

_I understand you had a little run-in with him and with Vido._

_Were you planning on telling me about it?_

_I thought we talked about this. I thought you weren’t shutting me out anymore._

_What the hell, kid?_

_Dad_


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

After trying three or four shops, Fia finally found one that sold the type of armor she was looking for. She tried on a few sets that were definitely outside of her price range. She turned from the ‘wishful thinking’ armor towards the more realistic ones. She was still deciding when a frowning Admiral Massani joined her.

“I don’t _need_ anyone to help me get a set of armor.” Fia rolled her eyes at Zaeed when he asked what she was doing. She shoved him out of her way to get a better look at the armor with dark blue with silver strips. “Think it matches my hair?”

“Maybe I just want to spend more goddamn time with you.” Zaeed reached past her toward a slightly more expensive, but much better set of light armor. It was midnight blue with lighter blue and black accents. “Get this one.”

“I can’t afford that one.”

“I can,” Zaeed shrugged.

“You’re not buying my fucking armor.” Fia crossed her arms to glare stubbornly up at him.

“I think you’ll find that I am buying your fucking armor.” Zaeed leaned down to run his nose along her neck. He nipped the skin at the edge of her jaw. “I’m going to buy your goddamn rifle too. That way, when you’re gone, you’ll be thinking about me not that goddamn boy.”

“Jealous?” Fia grinned mischievously.

“Imp.”

Fia refused to budge when he started toward the cashier. “I’m buying my _own_ armor, Zaeed.”

“Why?” His one-worded question sounded more like an irate interrogation.

“I…” Fia frowned at him in annoyance. “You just can’t.”

“A very well thought out argument.”

“Bite me.”

With that _well thought out argument_ , Fia grabbed the armor and decided fuck the price. She could always eat peanut butter sandwiches for a while. She dragged it over to the kiosk to purchase along with a few accessories she needed.   She was surprised when the woman told her it was seventy-five percent off.   She glanced over her shoulder at Zaeed, but he shrugged indifferently.

_Sneaky bastard._

“You are sneaky bastard.” Fia leaned against the kiosk while the store clerk ducked into the back to find specialized visor that came with the armor. _Apparently._ “You sneaky, conniving, under-handed bastard.”

Zaeed raised an eyebrow at her. “Me? You just accused me of being the same goddamn thing three times.”

“I believe in being thorough in my descriptions,” Fia shrugged.

“Can I help it if the armor is on sale?” Zaeed turned his attention to a set of omni-tools near the counter.

Fia tapped her fingers against her leg as she considered her options. She decided _not_ to argue with him about it. It was pointless. She just waited until they were finished purchasing her armor, omni-tool and a few weapons complete with mods. She figured out the portion that Zaeed had paid behind her back then hacked into his bank account to move funds from her own into his.

It hadn’t completely emptied her account, but came close to it. Fia definitely needed Eddie up out of the hospital so they could take on a few more jobs. She had two lined up that required she go to the Citadel.   Her run-in with the Blue Suns had taught her not to go without back-up though.

She was eating pizza and reading her messages at a restaurant across from the hospital when Dmitri joined her. She offered him a slice of her steak and egg pizza. It seemed only fair since she’d bailed on him the last time.

“Are you screwing the Admiral?”

Fia inhaled a piece of steak and coughed herself hoarse trying to get rid of it. “Shit.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He reached over to pat her on the back a few times to help her clear her airways. “Gonna live?”

“I’m not screwing anyone at the moment.” Fia chugged down half of a bottle of water. “Why?”

“Just want to know if I’m risking my career or not.” He grabbed a napkin to wipe grease from her chin. “You shouldn’t smile at me like that, Fia, I might risk more than my damn career.”

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Games._

_I’m not fond of them._

_I checked my account this afternoon only to find all of the funds I’d spent magically returned. I went to track you down and found you playing footsie with that goddamn boy._

_What are you playing at?_

_I don’t want to be toyed with. If you aren’t as interested and invested as I am, let me know so I can stop wasting my goddamn time._

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Games._

_I like you. I find you attractive._

_I wasn’t playing footsies with anyone today. I was having lunch with a friend who I turned down when he asked me on a date. So bite me if you don’t like it._

_I’m not actually playing at anything._

_You want to go out with me? Ask me. Don’t try to buy me shit. I don’t need you to buy me shit. I put the funds back because I felt weird about you paying for my armor._

_I’m not under your command so all those orders can be shoved right back up your ass as far as I’m concerned since that’s where you are talking out of at the moment._

_Fia_

* * *

 

It occurred to Fia when she was still awake at two in the morning that her message to Zaeed had been unnecessarily harsh and not quiet deserved. Against her better judgment, she got dressed and made her way across Arcturus to the now familiar apartment of the Admiral. She was surprised he hadn’t changed his door codes.

She tiptoed into the bedroom to find him sound asleep. _Good._ She turned around to head into his closet when a hand clamped down on her wrist. _Shit._ She was yanked across the room and found herself underneath Zaeed on the bed.

“Get lost?” He grabbed both of her wrists to push her arms up over her head. “Have trouble finding your _own_ goddamn apartment?”

“It’s technically Eddie’s,” Fia corrected with a grin. “I’m homeless.”

“ _Imp._ ” He tilted his head while watching her closely. “Why are you so goddamn focused on trying to push me?”

“I…”

“What do you think will happen if you piss me the hell off?” Zaeed bent forward until their noses touched. “Do you expect me to snap at you or hit you or…what? What the hell are you looking for?”

Fia stilled underneath him and glared up at him response. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Who the hell beat you down so badly you expect it? You test for it.” Zaeed kept her wrists in his hand but his hold turned gentle instead of hard. “Your dad?”

“Have you lost your mind? He’d never lay a finger on me. _Ever_.” Fia bucked up against him enough his grip loosened and she slid out from under his body. She stayed on the bed on her back staring up at the ceiling. “It’s complicated.”

“I got time, Imp.” Zaeed twisted over on his side so he was stretched out next to her. His arm draped across her.  He bit down on the side of her ear when she started to speak. “Don’t just give me a goddamn joke. Tell me the truth.”

“Why?”

“How about because I give a damn about you?” He spoke sharply and his arm tensed around her.

Fia rubbed her hand along the bald side of her head for a moment. “You know, I liked you better when all you did was growl and grumble at me.”

“ _Imp._ ”

“Remember when I said my dad saved my life?” Fia rolled over on her side so they were facing one another. “Some people shouldn’t be fucking parents, and my mother was one of those people.”

He remained quiet while she talked about her mother and Dusan. “And where the hell is the bastard now?”

Fia briefly thought about lying to him then changed her mind. “Dead. You should know it’s what happens to anyone who hurts Steven Hackett’s daughter.”

“I suppose that means I’ll have to work really goddamn hard not to hurt you.” Zaeed rested his hand on her collarbone then let it drift up along the side of her neck. His fingers grazed against her hairline. “I want to show you something.”

“Oh really? Is it a present that _grows_ on me?” Fia grinned at him as she lifted her leg to brush against his groin. “Is it currently covered in cotton boxers?”

“ _No._ ” Zaeed reached down to stop her leg. “Imp.”

“So what the hell could you possibly have to show me that isn’t in your pants, _Admiral_?” Fia’s fingers trailed up along his side. She sighed when his hand captured them. “You’re just no fun.”

She wasn’t sighing a few minutes later when he led her down the hall into one of his spare rooms. It looked like it was his library except for the giant vid-screen that covered an entire wall. She glanced around taking in the comfortable chairs then her eyes went to the gaming system on a shelf in front of the screen.

“That’s…”

“Yes.” Zaeed reached over to take her arm. He activated her omni-tool then keyed in a code into it. “Now you can get into my apartment without breaking into it. I thought you might enjoy gaming sometimes.”

“This is for me?” Fia crouched down in front of the system. It was the most recent one, so new she hadn’t even seen one in person. “Why?”

“It’s what you like,” he shrugged. “I had a sudden influx of credits this afternoon so I thought I’d use them.”

“You sneaky bastard.”

“I want more with you, Imp.” Zaeed leaned against the wall and watched her as she inspected every inch of the gaming hardware. “Can I take you out for breakfast?”

“Careful, _Admiral_ , I might get the wrong idea.” Fia grinned at him over her shoulder.

“As long as you don’t get any goddamn ideas about that boy, I think we’ll both manage just fine.” Zaeed frowned at her when her smile widened even further. “ _Imp._ ”

  


 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

“What the _hell_ are you doing?”

Fia glanced up at her father who loomed over her at the table she was sitting with her omni-tool open. “Working.”

 _“Working.”_ He sat beside her and looked across the expanse of the Presidium Commons. “How the hell is this working?”

Fia ignored him to glare over at Eddie who was sitting to two tables over. “You are useless.”

“I’m not guarding you from your father.” Eddie grinned around a mouthful of food. “He scares me a shitload more than you do. I can bench press you.”

“You can bench press him too, but he’d probably shoot you.” Fia winked at Eddie then laughed at the scowl her Dad sent her. “I’m actually working on a decryption for C-Sec. What do you want?”

“Maybe to see my kid who’s been ignoring me for weeks?”

“Yeah. Shit.” Fia glanced up as the _other_ part of her C-sec job moved from the table he’d been sitting at to head up the stairs. “Look, I have to go, I’ll be back, I promise. Don’t follow me.”

It was stupid to hope he’d listen to her request. Fia put her dad out of her mind and jogged after Eddie to catch sight of their target entering one of the nearby apartments. They needed a code from his omni-tool to crack the decryption. C-sec had been going around in circles for months before they hired her.

The downside of the next part of her little task was it required Fia to _appear_ to be a member of the Blue Suns. Wrex had come through with a _borrowed_ set of armor. Fia hadn’t asked too many questions about where he’d gotten it or the blood stains on it.

Stepping into the apartment, Fia quickly subdued the salarian she’d been following. She copied the code from his omni-tool and snuck but out of the apartment. She was gloating to herself when she slammed into someone just outside the door.

_“Fia?”_

“It’s not what it looks like.” Fia backed up at the pure rage on her father’s face. She’d never seen him this angry… _ever._ “Dad. It’s…I’m not….let me explain.

“What _did_ Vido tell you this time to change your mind?” Hackett canted his head to the side as he glanced over the blue and white armor. His fists were clenched almost as tightly as his jaw. She could almost hear his teeth grinding together before he spoke again. “Is it because of what I did? Trying to keep you safe?”

“No, Dad, you don’t...” Fia flinched when he slammed his fist into the wall beside her. “ _Dad_.”

“All I’ve done is try to keep you safe, and you went to him anyway.” His words seemed to catch in his throat. “I wasn’t going to hold you back, kid. And you had to fucking go to Vido anyway. Of all places, why him? Hasn’t he done enough to _my family_? He can’t fucking have you, damn it.”

_Shit._

Eddie _finally_ stepped up behind them and wrapped a strong arm around her dad’s upper body. “Go. Let me talk to him. You know Pallin wants that information sooner rather than later.”

“Dad.” Fia started then stopped when he turned his head. She stormed away leaving Eddie to deal with him. “Damn it.”

* * *

 

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: Citadel_

_From: Fia H._

_To: Zaeed M._

_FH: Remember the stupid idea?_

_ZM: Which one?_

_FH: I will make all of your boxes shades of pink._

_ZM: The Blue Suns armor idea that I said was ridiculous and going to get you killed? That one?_

_FH: Yes._

_ZM: I do remember it quite vividly._

_FH: My dad is on the Citadel_

_ZM: Ahh._

_FH: It went well._

_ZM: Ahh._

_FH: I’m hiding in a strip club with my buddy Wrex._

_ZM: A strip club. How does one hide with a giant, angry, often arrested bounty hunting Krogan?_

_FH: Carefully?_

_ZM: I don’t like it._

_FH: Would you rather I be in a strip club with Eddie? Or maybe Dmitri?_

_ZM: Imp._

_FH: He’d look really good in one of the dancer’s outfits._

_ZM: He’ll look really good scrubbing every flat surface on Arcturus._

_FH: Aren’t you supposed to be above petty shit like that, Admiral?_

_ZM: You are… an imp._

_FH: Took you ten minutes and that’s the best you could do?_

_FH: Oops. I have to go. Wrex has a new brand of ryncol for me to try. Last time I ended up in the hospital._

_User has disconnected._

* * *

 

_From: Admiral Zaeed Massani_

_To: Major James Stevens_

_Subj: The Citadel._

_Are you still there dealing with the Ambassador?_

_If so, I need you to find Fia Hackett for me._

_She mentioned something about ryncol._

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Major James Stevens_

_To: Admiral Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: The Citadel._

_Ryncol?_

_Not again._

_I’ll look into it._

_You better know what the hell you’re doing with her Admiral. I’m not the only person who’d risk their career to knock you around if you hurt her._

_James_

* * *

 

“You’re supposed to be smarter than this.” Eddie held Hackett against a wall near the door to the apartment Fia had been in. He’d refused to release him until he listened. Hackett gave the young man credit for sticking by his friend. “Fia used the armor as a disguise. Wrex stole it from a dead merc. She owes me a damn case of beer for this shit.”

“She…”

“Fia would shoot herself in the damn head before betraying you. Are you honestly that…” Eddie left out whatever he thought Hackett was. _Wise kid._ “Why the hell do you think Fia is so determined to make this business a success?”

Hackett finally pushed back against the young man. He was tired of his nose being pressed to the wall. He spun around to face him with a hand raised in warning in case Eddie started towards him. “Tell me.”

“To. Make. You. Proud.” Eddie punched Hackett _lightly_ in the chest with each word. “Parents. Why are you always this clueless about your own kids?”

Hackett casually straightened his shirt and rolled his shoulders to loosen them. He turned steely blue eyes at Eddie causing him to take a step back. _Fear. Good._ “I know you’ve been a good friend to my daughter so you get a free pass this once. If you ever touch me like that again, I’ll shoot your finger off.”

“Uh.” Eddie clenched his hands into fists at his side. “Yes, sir.”

“I think it’s time I went to find my daughter.” Hackett smirked when Eddie shifted away when he moved toward him. “Easy, kid, you did good just now. I owe you one.”

He left the stunned young man to go find Fia. His C-sec contact told him she’d mentioned Chora’s Den after she dropped off the data to complete her job with them. He could only think of one reason his kid would be at a club like that as opposed to the arcades she usually preferred.

“Where the hell is my daughter?” Hackett frowned at the half-drunk Krogan when he found him at the bar. “Wrex? Answer me, damn it.”

“She’s probably off with that Admiral of hers.” Wrex snagged his newly refilled glass of ryncol. He drank it before answering Hackett. “She didn’t tell you about her new boyfriend? Maybe not him, he’s on Arcturus.”

He eventually got Wrex to admit Fia hadn’t handled the _new_ version of ryncol any better than the previous kind. He decided his anger at her having tried it before could wait until he _found_ her. A message from Eddie’s dad provided a location for him.

“You rat bastard.” Fia glared at James Stevens when Hackett stepped into the hospital room. Her voice low probably because she was still clutching at her head. “Go away, both of you. Stupid parent type people. See if I ever…bastards…damn Wrex…damn ryncol.”

“Stop muttering to yourself, kid.” Hackett shook hands with Major Stevens and asked him to give them a moment alone. He sat on the edge of her bed and tried to take her hand but she yanked it away. “I’m sorry.”

“I hate you.”

“You’re not ten anymore, kid.”

“Oh you noticed?” Fia massaged her temples gingerly. “I didn’t join the Blue Fucking Suns.”

“I know.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” He eased her hands away from her head and held them firmly in his. “I am _very_ sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

“Sorry doesn’t make it hurt less, Dad.” Fia’s lips twitched for a moment then she pressed them into a thin line. “You know what does?”

“ _Ofelia_.”

“You don’t want to make it better?” She was struggling not to grin at him. He could tell from the mischief in her eyes. “I could _really_ use a brand-new omni-tool. There’s a new one out.”

“Do I really need to buy the affection of my own daughter?” He sighed dramatically.

“Yep.”

“I tell you what, kid.” He tapped his finger against one of her knuckles. “You tell me about your Admiral, and I’ll get you that omni-tool.”

“What Admiral?”

“ _Fia._ ”

“I have _no_ idea what you’re talking about.” Fia’s eyes narrowed. “How about you and your Captain?”

“What Captain?”

“Exactly.” She finally grinned at him then threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Dad. I’d _never_ join the Suns, not after the things Vido did to you.”

“I know.” He wound his arms around her. “So…what the hell were you doing drinking ryncol?”

“Hmm?” Fia tilted her head back to frown at him. “Sorry, the doctor said I would be temporarily unable to hear any questions that might get me yelled at. What did you say?”

“ _Ofelia Marie Hackett.”_

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: Citadel_

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_E: Do we have anything on the agenda for next week?_

_F: We are literally in the same damn apartment. Why the hell are you messaging me when you could yell…or get off your ass and come ask me in person?_

_E: Lazy._

_F: Idiot. I’m finishing up the decryption job for that one information broker. I’ve got a hacking job from Wrex cause he’s too busy in the Terminus System to head to the Citadel. And then…we have nothing for at least two weeks. Why?_

_E: Shep just graduated from his N7 course. He wants to celebrate in New York by getting completely drunk. Wanna go?_

_F: New York? Alcohol? Hot marines? Sure why not._

_E: What about the ‘Admiral’?_

_F: The Admiral has been gone on some secret tour for six damn months. I can look at all the hot marines I want._

_E: Look but not touch?_

_F: Yep._

_E: And that’s fun?_

_F: Not particularly, no, but I like where things are going with ‘the Admiral.’_

_E: You like where things are going. It’s going nowhere fast since you’ve been working non-stop for a year, and so has he._

_F: If I wasn’t so lazy, I’d get off my ass and come into your room to beat your ass._

_E: Yeah, yeah. So New York?_

_F: I’ll book a transport for us. We can leave in a couple of days, play tourist, maybe pick up a job then get drunk with your buddy._

_User has disconnected._

* * *

 

They’d been on a bar crawl through Manhattan when Fia stepped outside to get some air and space. She thought about walking back to the hotel. The N7 graduates were starting to get a little too rowdy even for her. It wouldn’t be so bad, but one of them had wandering hands. Eddie’d already threatened to break the guy’s hand. She just didn’t want to deal with the bullshit.

She also didn’t want to get tossed in a drunk-tank with the idiots. There was no doubt in her mind the group of drunken men were on the way to spending a long, uncomfortable night in the nearest brig.   She could see her breath when she breathed out. It was colder than she expected for November in New York. She wished her hoodie wasn’t buried in the bottom of her bag in the hotel.

“Ofelia.”

Fia steeled her nerves, prayed for instant sobriety since she still felt the numerous beers in her system and then turned to face Vido. “I thought I caught the slight odor of jackass in the air. Are you here to give me another concussion? Or maybe a gunshot wound, I haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“It was…”

“If you say accident, I swear to god I’m going to…” She rested her hand against a brick wall to keep the dizziness at bay. She leaned sidewise against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment. “Do very, very bad things to you the minute I figure out which one of you is real.”

“How much have you had to drink?” He took a step towards her, but stopped when her head snapped up in his direction. “Let me help you get to a skycab.”

“ _No._ ”

“Fia.”

“I know what your damn help is like. It ends up with someone getting shot, usually me.” Fia shoved her hands into her jeans pocket as she shivered.

It was way too damn cold to be standing outside. Fia glanced over her shoulder when loud laughter followed by the group of drunken marines came out of the bar. They stumbled down the sidewalk away from Fia and the bar towards another pub down the street. She rolled her eyes at the group of men. _Idiots._  A quiet cough drew her attention back to the slightly more dangerous man standing in front of her.

“What do you want?” She _wanted_ the world to stop spinning and a blanket, and Zaeed…and a puppy…and pizza. “Seriously, why the hell do you keep showing up?”

“I _just_ want to talk.” Vido moved close enough he could drape his leather jacket around her shoulders. “There’s a coffee shop around the corner. Let’s get you a little more sober so you’ll actually remember what I have to say.”

“No.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“What is your damn obsession with me?” Fia rolled her shoulders to let his jacket fall to the floor. It smelled like him which was gross. “I’m not interested in being part of the Suns.”

“It’s in your blood.”

“The only part of the Suns that is in my blood is the blood I left at your base, jackass.” Fia stormed past him. Her shoulder slammed into him as she went by. Vido’s hand shot out to grab her by the back of the shirt. “What the…”

He used his hold on her t-shirt to swing her around then shoved her towards a nearby skycar. “Let’s go.”

_Well, shit._

Struggling against the firm grasp on her t-shirt, Fia tried to get away from the man. Vido told her to stop before he hurt her.  His other hand grabbed the back of her belt and used it to lift her off of the ground. The fingers in her shirt accidentally grabbed her hair and yanked on it. It sent her into a blind panic, too close to memories she kept buried. She took a deep breath of icy air then flipped herself around him. She shoved her boot firmly into his knee sending him to the ground.

She followed him down, reaching out to grab the pistol from _his_ holster. She held it under his chin with her finger itching to pull the trigger. “Never, _ever_ fucking touch me again. _Ever._ Do you understand? I will _not_ be dragged around by a man _ever_ again.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“No.” She pushed the muzzle of the gun harder against his skin. “ _Never_ fucking do that _ever_ again.”

Before Vido could respond, Fia got to her feet and rushed away from him. She tossed the pistol into a dumpster a she made her way to the safety of the hotel. She wrapped her arms around herself to try to block the cool breeze.

_Damn, Vido, damn him._

* * *

 

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: New York City_

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_FH: Dad?_

_SH: Hey, kid, how’s the drinking going?_

_SH: Fia? You’ve been quiet for ten minutes. Are you okay?_

_FH: I saw Vido._

_SH: I’m going to kill that bastard._

_FH: I’m okay._

_SH: You messaged me at three in the morning after spending the night getting drunk. You’re not ‘okay’, kid._

_FH: Yea._

_SH: Are you safe now? I can be on a transport to Earth in an hour._

_FH: I’m safely buried under a blanket in my hotel room._

_SH: Do you want to talk about it, kid?_

_FH: Why can’t he just leave me alone?_

_SH: He will when I put a bullet in his head._

_FH: Dad._

_SH: I warned him to stay the hell away from you, kid. I’m not going to let it go this time. He’s done. Where the hell was Eddie? Isn’t he supposed to be keeping you safe?_

_FH: He moved on to another bar._

_SH: That boy._

_FH: Dad._

_FH: Oh hey, how’d the date night go with Anderson?_

_SH: Date…how the hell did you know about that?_

_FH: He asked me what your favorite dessert was. Did he eat it off of you?_

_SH: Ofelia Marie Hackett._

_FH: That’s totally a yes. Gross, but good for you, Dad._

_SH: You were switched at birth for the spawn of satan._

_FH: I get it from your side of the family. So? The date?_

_SH: The date went fine._

_FH: Fine._

_SH: Fine._

_FH: Seriously? That’s all you’ve got for me. He’s been bugging you for a ‘real date’ for like five years, and it was ‘fine.’_

_FH: Is he still at your apartment?_

_SH: No._

_FH: Liar, liar, pants on fire._

_SH: Get some sleep, kid._

_FH: Are you making him breakfast in bed?_

_SH: Fia._

_FH: Make him that chocolate chip pancake with whipped cream._

_SH: Spawn of satan._

_FH: Yeah, yeah._

_SH: Love you, kid._

_FH. I know._

_User has disconnected._

* * *

 

“Is she okay?” Anderson lifted his head up off of the pillow to glance over at Hackett as he set his omni-tool back on the nightstand. “I told one of my friends at the base near New York to keep an eye on her.”

“Thank you.” Hackett shifted on the bed until his back rested against the headboard. “Goddamn Vido.”

“He approached her again?”

“I’ll kill the bastard.” Hackett needed to find a way to end Vido quickly, or at least keep him the hell away from Fia. Anderson twisted around on the bed to rest his head against Hackett’s side. “David?”

“If the man is currently on Earth, he has to travel for a while through Alliance space. Let me help you track him. You can’t deal with him in confines of Alliance territory, but he’ll move into the Terminus systems fairly quickly I’d imagine.” Anderson tiled his head to smile up at Hackett who was surprised at the offer. “I’ve been trying for a very long time to prove the depth of my feelings for you. Maybe helping keep your daughter safe will prove it.”

“ _David._ ”

“That tone of voice doesn’t even work on your daughter, why would it work on me?” Anderson reached up to tug on Hackett’s beard. “You’re not scaring me away now.”

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: James Stevens_

_Subj: re: Fia._

_What do you mean your son lost her?_

_How did he lose her?_

_They’re usually attached at the hip. She’s got half a shaved head and bright blue hair. She’s hard to miss. How drunk were they?_

_I do realize he’s not in the Alliance and we can’t order him to do anything. But perhaps he might want to find her NOW. _

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Fia Hackett_

_To: Eddie Stevens_

_Subj: re: Save Me._

_I love you, so I will bail your stupid ass out of the brig._

_I will even message your dad to let him know that I’m not lost so he’ll tell Zaeed to stop threatening you, even if it is funny._

_Fia_

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: David Anderson_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Spawn of Satan._

_I don’t know what you’re complaining about. We can always use handcuffs, even if they are a distasteful color._

_You laughed, admit it._

_I’ll see you for dinner._

_David_

* * *

 

Zaeed took a seat in a corner booth in the back of the bar. He was assessing a new attachment of marines to Team Delta who were fresh out of N-School. They’d been tasked with infiltrating and stopping a smuggling operation based inside Alliance space that used the Terminus Systems to evade arrest. He was simply supposed to monitor the progress of the team.

He pretended to sip from the bottle of beer he’d been served. He turned his attention to the other side of the room when a fight broke out. A moment or two later, a familiar laugh pulled his attention back.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” Zaeed snapped angrily at the grinning blue-haired woman sitting across from him.

“Would you believe it’s a totally random coincidence?” Fia leaned across the table to steal his beer. She licked a stray drop of beer from the rim of the bottle and Zaeed felt an uncomfortable tightening in his trousers. “Can you believe my dad actually called me the spawn of satan because of a birthday present? Picky, picky man. Doesn’t everyone need handcuffs?”

“What. The. Bloody. Hell. Are. You. Doing. Here.”

“You do know the smuggler made Lieutenant Fernandos two hours ago, right?” Fia lifted her arm and pulled up a short vid on her omni-tool. “Their ship pulled out from the port already. “

“ _Imp._ ”

“I hacked the VI on their ship. Here’s a tracker that will let your little marines follow them to their hidden base. Isn’t that what they’ve been trying to find for the last six months? Honestly, do you people not have any decent hackers?” Fia casually tossed a small disc to him. “What? The idiots marines were taking too damn long. It’s no fun breaking into your apartment when you aren’t there.”

“You missed me so you hacked the Alliance systems to not only discover my mission, but my location.” Zaeed fingered the little electronic gadget in his hand. He had missed her as well but the damn Imp shouldn’t have…. “Did you say you sent your father handcuffs for his birthday?”

Fia grinned at him. “Pink ones with cute little bunnies on them.”

“Pink. Bunnies.”

“Too much?”

“How the hell has your father not strangled you by now?” Zaeed held his hand up to stop her from answering. He called one of the marines over and whispered in the young Sergeant’s ear for a moment. He sent him on his way with the tracking device. “You and I are going to have a very long talk about this, Imp.”

“About handcuffs?” She ran her fingers along the shaved side of her head. “You kinky bastard, you.”

“ _Fia.”_

She slouched back into the seat with a sigh. Her fingers toyed with the bottle of beer. “I wanted to see you which was clearly a bad fucking idea. I’ll…go.”

Zaeed stretched his arm around the table to shove her back down into the chair when she started to stand up. He used his hand on her to drag her over the table until he could press his lips hard against hers. “You aren’t going any bloody where until we talk, Imp.”

“Kissing isn’t really that much of a deterrent.” Fia grinned against his mouth.

He pushed her into her seat and shook his head when she laughed at him. “You have to stop hacking Alliance systems.”

“Why?”

“I’d hate to have to visit you in the brig.” Zaeed couldn’t help the scowl on his face when she laughed in response. She never seemed to take anything seriously. “ _Imp.”_

“I’ve been hacking systems since I was six or seven.” Fia rolled her eyes at him. “I know how to avoid being traced.”

“I could arrest you now.”

Fia reached into the pocket of her hoodie and lifted up a pair of pink handcuffs. She let them dangle from one finger in front of him. “Two for one sale. You want to _arrest_ me Admiral?”

“ _Imp.”_

She flung the cuffs at him and he had to grab them before they hit him in the face. “Knock yourself out.”

He stared at her in stunned surprise then had to shoot his arm out to catch her before she stormed away. He eased her over until she was standing next to his chair, his arm around her waist. “What the hell happened? You’re more tightly wound than I’ve ever seen you.”

“I…”

Zaeed stood up and led her out of the bar. He kept a firm hand on her arm while pulling her despite her struggling towards the sky-port where the Alliancae ship he had command of was docked. He propelled her forward into the airlock then through the CIC down a flight of stairs towards his cabin.

“Nice ship.” She perched on the edge of his desk and glared at him when he finally released her.

“What happened?” Zaeed pressed her for an answer. He knew Fia frequently hacked into various systems. She’d never really done it to find him though. He couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it than she missed him. “Imp?”

Fia reached into the pocket of her jeans to pull out a small toy cruiser. It looked like a model of an old Alliance ship. He frowned at it in confusion. She finally told him that Vido had approached her a few more times since the incident in New York.

The last time had been on the Citadel over a week ago, and he’d taken things to a different level. Fia had finally told her dad about it.   Hackett’s response had been immediate. He’d left the bounty he was on to go after Vido… _alone_.

She hadn’t heard from him since and it was clearly worrying her. Zaeed asked what exactly a ‘different level’ meant. She shrugged and refused to answer.

“I asked Wrex to help me figure out which Blue Suns base Vido was at. He won’t help…so I thought…” Fia gripped the cruiser tightly. “I’m not letting Vido take my father away from me, damn it.”

“You thought I could help?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not entirely sure Steven Hackett wants Alliance help.” Zaeed watched Fia’s jaw tighten stubbornly. She’d find a way to get to the Blue Suns compound without him. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Fia grinned at him then, but it didn’t quite match the glint in her eyes. “Will you help or not? I can always ask Dmitri.”

* * *

 

_From: Vido Santiago_

_To: Fia Hackett_

_Subj: Your Father._

_He makes a great punching bag._

_Here’s the deal, I want you in the Suns. I don’t really give a damn at this point how I get you, so let’s negotiate._

_I’ll let your father go free, a little banged up but alive, and you come to the Blue Suns compound to join the ranks._

_Say no, and I’ll send you his body._

_It might take a few crates since he’ll be in pieces._

_Vido_

* * *

 

_From: Wrex_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: re: Little Pyjack._

_What are you planning?_

_I said no because Vido’s a lying sack of shit._

_Wrex_

* * *

 

_From: Fia H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: re: Work._

_I need a few more days._

_I’ll see you on the Citadel next week._

_Fia_

  


 

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Hackett didn’t bother pulling at the restraints holding him to the wall. He refused to waste his energy on a futile effort. He focused instead on trying to breathe through the pain. Vido’s men had done a serious number on him when they finally caught him.

There was always a risk when Hackett went after his old partner that an ambush would be waiting for him. He’d tried to plan around the eventuality of it. He might never admit it to her, but Fia got her occasionally foolhardiness from him. His only hope was she didn’t do something stupid to try and rescue him once she realized he was missing.

“Well, well, well, Steven.” Vido smiled cruelly as he walked into the room. “What a pleasant surprise. Have you missed me as much as I’ve missed you?”

Hackett stared silently at the man.

“Let’s get to the point, shall we?” Vido played with a knife while he continued to smile at an unmoved Hackett. “You have something I want, and I’m going to use your worthless body to get her.”

“Touch a hair on her head and I’ll kill you so slowly you won’t know your dead until the flames of hell are licking at your boots.” Hackett enjoyed the flicker of fear that flashed across Vido’s face.

“Your little Fia believes I’ll let you go if she willingly joins the Suns. Stupid little fool.” Vido sauntered across the small cell to slam his fists repeatedly into Hackett’s side. “I’ll shoot you myself the minute I’ve got my hands on her. You can watch the horror on her face when she realizes you’re dying.”

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: re: Vido._

_He’s a liar._

_You know that, Fia, don’t let him wind you up._

_You’ve got my dad, and the Admiral, and an entire damn Spec Ops unit with you. They can help. I wish I was there, damn inconvenient time to be stuck on another planet. I think you did that on purpose._

_Stay safe. I need my best friend alive._

_Eddie_

_P.S. Did Captain Anderson reach you? He was worried._

* * *

 

Fia sat in the crew mess on the Alliance ship Zaeed had command of. Major Stevens placed a mug of coffee in her hands. Wrex had managed to get them the coordinates for the base Vido currently had her father in. It wasn’t where the lying asshole had _told_ her to meet him.

“We’ll find your father, Fia.” Eddie’s Dad covered her hand with his.

“My plan…”

“Your plan was foolish and reckless.” He interrupted her argument, the same one she’d been repeating for two days. “Vido won’t let your father go because you join him. He can’t. He knows Steven Hackett would _never_ walk away from you being trapped into the Blue Suns. He’d come in with guns blazing and kill ever last one of them. Vido _knows_ he has to kill your father. He doesn’t have a choice.”

“I know.”

“You’re not sacrificing your goddamn life for nothing, Imp.” Zaeed slid into the seat next to her, oblivious to the sudden frown on Major Steven’s face. Fia figured being the highest ranking officer meant he could ignore things like that. “Santiago won’t get away with this, but no way in hell am I letting him get his hands on you.”

“Letting…letting him?” Fia told herself to calm down as her temper started to rise. She shouldn’t take her fear of losing her dad out on Zaeed. She held her hand up to stop him from getting heated. “Sorry.”

“Just _let_ us have your goddamn back on this, ok? We’re here to help,” Zaeed grumbled. He turned cold anger towards Eddie’s Dad when he started to laugh. “Do you…”

Fia covered Zaeed’s mouth with her hand. She shot Major Stevens a tired look. “Leave Eddie’s Dad alone. He’s an annoying parental type, but I like him.”

With a barely contained snarl, Zaeed lifted Fia up by the back of her shirt and dragged her across the mess toward his quarters. She grinned at Major Stevens and waved before disappearing into the room. Zaeed set her down in the middle of his cabin. She watched him pace in front of her, mumbling angrily to himself.

“Zaeed?” Fia reached out a hand to stop him mid-pacing. “Maybe you should try tai chi or something? Cause you seem a little… _stressed.”_

His head twisted slowly in her direction and Fia grinned in the face of his obvious aggravation. “ _Imp._ ”

“Yes?”

“You shouldn’t spend so much time trying to get me to react.” Zaeed dragged a hand tiredly across his face.

“But it’s so satisfying to watch you get all jaw clenchingly annoyed with me for absolutely no reason whatsoever.” Fia walked backwards until she was leaning against the edge of the desk in his quarters. She had so much pent up stress and worry and knew _just_ how to get rid of it all. “Maybe try some deep breathing? You know they say stress can prematurely age you. Do you really want more grey hairs?”

“ _Imp._ ”

It started out simply enough. Zaeed grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to the bed. Fia didn’t realize what he had in mind until the first swat on her ass. She hesitated for a moment which gave him time for a second swat which spurred her into action. He was half-undressed and handcuffed to the side of his own bed before he knew what hit him.

Fia swung her leg over his body so she was straddled over his body. “Like the pink bunny cuffs? Cute aren’t they? As cute as you thinking I’m going to let you spank my ass.”

“ _Imp._ ” He yanked at the cuff though Fia could feel his cock hardening beneath her. She rolled her hips to drag her still clothed body across him. “ _Fia._ ”

“Yes?” She grinned down at him while her fingers played with the hairs on his chest. “Now, see, I think I have a much better way for us to rid ourselves of all this tension.”

Decided _not_ to bother arguing about the appropriateness of doing it _now_ , Fia slid her hand down his bare chest to start unbuckling his belt and sliding the zipper of his trousers down. She shoved them down and then his boxers.   She needed this to distract her from the overwhelming fear she felt.

Her fingers wrapped around him…she stroked him once then twice then couldn’t do it. She reached up to release him then scooted over to sit on the edge of the bed with her face hidden in her hands. Zaeed shifted up until he was behind her, his arms wrapping around her from behind.

“It’ll be okay, Imp.” He murmured against her neck. “He’ll be okay.”

“What if…”

His tightened grip around her silenced her. “He _will_ be okay.”

“Think Wrex has ryncol?”

_“No.”_

“No?”

“I’m ripping his damn head off if he puts you in the damn hospital again.” Zaeed bit her hard on the neck when she laughed at him.

* * *

 

_From: David Anderson_

_To: James Stevens_

_Subj: re: Hackett._

_Bring him back safe._

_I’m heading to Arcturus now. I know Steven won’t like it, but if he’s been hurt, take him there._

_David_

* * *

The trap required Fia distract Vido long enough the Spec Ops team could quickly take out the small group of Blue Suns troops with him. Zaeed and Major Stevens stayed with her, but out of sight. She kept her rifle in her hand tightly while she walked into the clearing where Vido waited for her.

“Ofelia.”

She suppressed the shudder she felt whenever Vido used her full name. She wasn’t sure when he started thinking seduction would work on her, but it creeped her the hell out. He moved confidently toward her. Her father was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s my dad?” Fia used her raised weapon to keep him from moving close enough to touch her.

“He’s a little tied up at the moment.” Vido sneered at her. “Let me take you to him.”

She followed Vido cautiously not wanting to allow him the chance to get behind her. Rational thought fled her mind the minute the door to what was obviously a cell of some sort slid open. Her father was battered, bloody and practically bolted to a wall. She felt anger surge through her particularly when he didn’t even open his eyes.

“Join me, and I’ll let him go.” Vido continued talking as he wove what he clearly believed to be convincing lies. “You know you belong in a blue and white uniform.”

Fia ignored his words and focused on the injuries she could see on her father. “You did this to him.”

“He wouldn’t cooperate,” Vido shrugged.

His callous shrug set off rage Fia hadn’t known she could feel. The gunshot echoed in the room. Fia lowered her rifle to stare blankly down at Vido. _Well, shit._ She forced herself to move across the room to release her Dad whose eyes were now open and sharply focused on her. She bypassed the first lock on the electronic shackles and was working on the second when Zaeed and Mr. Stevens crashed through the door into the room.

They immediately helped her free Hackett. Her dad crushed her against him the moment he was standing on his own two feet. His hand came up to press her head to his chest while his other hand took her rifle.   He unloaded the entire clip into Vido’s already lifeless body. She was reminded of the first day they met.

“What…”

“ _Don’t_.” Fia put her hands on his chest and pushed back gently. She could _feel_ the lecture starting. “I brought an entire fucking marine unit with me as back-up. So don’t you dare tell me I was reckless.”

He barked out a laugh that looked like it hurt. His hand came up to cup her cheek and they _both_ pretended it wasn’t trembling a little. “I was just going to ask what the hell Massani is doing here. But... _thanks,_ kid.”

Fia launched herself into his arms again. “Shit. I thought you were going to be dead.”

Zaeed placed a hand on Hackett’s back to keep him from falling over. “Let’s get him to the ship, Imp. He looks like he needs a medic.”

Fia watched as her dad twisted around to face the Alliance Admiral. He kept one arm around his daughter while holding out his other hand toward Zaeed. The two men shook hands and Fia rolled her eyes at them.

* * *

 

_From: David Anderson_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Alive._

_Thank god._

_I’ve been…worried._

_I’ll be waiting on Arcturus, I know it’s not your favorite place, but it’s closer than the Citadel and Fia tells me you need a thorough check-up at a real hospital not just a med bay._

_And I know you know better than to argue with your hard-headed child._

_David_


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So. I'm ending this one here, I may(probably will) come back and periodically add chapters, but for the moment, I'm ending it here. =)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Fia hovered by the door to the hospital room where her dad was currently stretched out on a gurney. It had taken a fair amount of persuasion to get him to agree to go get checked out. It mostly involved Fia guilt-tripping him into it which just made her feel even worse.

The majority of her guilt centered on the fact Fia felt she should’ve rescued him sooner. Zaeed, Eddie and Eddie’s Dad tried to convince her out of the guilt. She shrugged them all off and hid behind a terminal claiming she had to work. Anderson was staying with her father anyway. She thought there might be something more serious going on between the two men than either was ready to admit.

Zaeed stepped up behind her in the hospital hallway. He pressed his hand against the middle of her back then shoved her into the room. She turned to glare at him, but the door had already closed leaving her alone with Hackett.

“So you finally decide to come see me, kid?” He lifted his hand up to beckon her closer when she hesitated by the door. “Never see you so damn quiet before.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

Fia lifted her shoulders with a sigh. “Everything?”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” He grabbed her arm and eased her closer. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I figured it would take a few days before your urge to yell at me went away.” Fia tilted her head to the side to hide her grin. “You haven’t even gotten to ask ‘what the hell were you thinking’.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. _“Fia.”_

“What?” She asked defensively. “It’s always the first thing you say when you think I’ve done something unnecessary and dangerous. But this was fucking necessary. I wasn’t going to let that asshole kill my dad. I need you too much for you to die tragically. I’m reserving my right to kill you via heart attack at one of my ‘reckless, irresponsible’ stunts.”

“Hmm.”

“And don’t harp on Zaeed either.” Fia crossed her arms to glare at him. She’d been most worried about him finally realizing how serious her relationship with Zaeed was. “I’d have gone in by myself if it wasn’t for him.”

He sighed. _Heavily._

“Dad?” Fia finally moved close enough he could hug her.

“Do you want to talk about Vido?”

“ _No._ ” Fia’s sharp response drew his immediate attention. She took a few steps away from his bed. “He deserved to die.”

“True.”

“I…” Fia started pacing the room with her hands in her pockets. “Look, I’m not thrilled that I fucking killed someone. I might’ve let him go if…”

“If what, kid?”

Fia ran trembling fingers through her hair. “I thought you were dead…for brief second when I walked into the room. The blood, the bruises. It was too fucking much. He needed to die.”

“Thank you.”

“So are you grateful enough to overlook the fact that I’m screwing someone who isn’t that much younger than you?” Fia grinned and darted out of reach. She didn’t want to delve too deeply into the darker thoughts she had about Vido’s death and her father’s injuries. “I like him.”

“I think you more than like the damn bastard,” he grimaced. “He breaks your heart and I’m breaking his head.”

“Very nice.” Fia waved off the threat. “Can’t you at least pretend to be nice?”

“No.”

“Can you avoid maiming him while I’m still attached to him being…unmaimed?” Fia narrowed her eyes on him when he pointed out that wasn’t actually a word. “You know what I fucking mean.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“ _Dad._ ”

“Fine,” he grumbled.

Fia glanced over her shoulder as Anderson stepped into the room. “On that note, I’ll let Anderson give you a sponge bath while I go see if Zaeed wants to give me one.”

“ _Ofelia Marie Hackett.”_

 _“Sorry.”_ She grinned completely unrepentantly and raced out of the room before her dad could struggle out of the bed.

“What _exactly_ are you laughing about Imp?” Zaeed was leaning against the nurse’s station outside of her father’s room.

“Men.” She cocked her head to the side as smiled up at him. “So, _Admiral_ , what kind of reward do you want for helping me save my old man?”

“How about you stop hacking the goddamn Alliance?” He caught her leg when she went to kick him in the shins. “ _Imp._ ”

“ _Fine._ ”

He set her leg down then wound his arms around her to tug her forward against him. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Oh?”

He pulled an omni-tool out of a bag that had been sitting at his feet. “This is connected with _my_ extra-net account. So you don’t have to _illegally_ hack into anything and I can sleep at goddamn night.”

“I can _always_ keep you up.” Fia looped her arms around his neck. “ _Always.”_

“Bloody Imp.”

“Zaeed?”

He raised an eyebrow at her in response.

“ _Thanks_.” She left out the part about him trusting her with access, and helping her save her dad. It was making a lump in her throat that she was having trouble swallowing around. “I…”

“Let’s get some goddamn pizza and you can tell how you’re going to keep me up at night.” Zaeed leaned down for a kiss. “Or maybe I’ll keep you up this time.”

“I do still have the pink bunny cuffs.”

“ _Imp.”_

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

The note stuck on the brim of his Alliance cap was the first thing Zaeed saw when he woke up. It was a square of toilet paper with the words ‘find me’ and a smile face scribbled underneath. _Goddamn Imp_. Fia had been trying to entice him into playing hide and seek for days since they arrived in Dublin.

_Alliance Admirals do not play hide and seek._

She hadn’t been deterred by his argument.

Her clear blue eyes dancing with mischief should’ve been Zaeed’s clue that the conversation wasn’t over. He’d thought a short vacation to Dublin would be romantic…and _relaxing_. He hadn’t expected to wake up on the second day of the trip to find himself alone in the goddamn hotel room.

Sliding out of bed, Zaeed pulled on a pair of jeans and a simple dark green button-up t-shirt. If he was spending his day chasing Fia, he planned on being comfortable. His first task after finding the strongest coffee available at the hotel was to have the local Alliance office monitor security footage near the hotel for any signs of Fia.

It wasn’t cheating. It was simply utilizing every available too at his disposal. _Maybe cheating a little. Bloody Imp._ She seemed to relish keeping him on his toes. He hadn’t felt so out of his goddamn out of his league since he was an eighteen year old idiot in boot camp.

She led him on a merry chase through the streets and alleys of Dublin. Zaeed thought he’d cornered her in a pub only to find he had grabbed the arm of a complete stranger. He could swear he heard Fia’s laughter at his mistake, but never caught sight of her.

Racing out of the bar, Zaeed thought he saw a glimpse of her going around a corner. She was gone by the time he got to the end of the street. At least, he thought it was his imp.

Zaeed would _never_ admit to Fia how much goddamn fun he was having. She might have been right when she claimed he needed to get out of Arcturus more often, leave the uniform behind and relax for a while. He wouldn’t tell her that either.

When Zaeed finally found Fia, it was at a club late in the evening. He practically swallowed his tongue when he spotted her dancing in the middle of the throng of dancers. She wore a form-fitting black dress with a matching long coat. A gold medallion on a long gold chain was draped around her neck. Shed dyed her hair back her original blonde and tied it up in intricate braids. Her make-up was equally dramatic.

_It was certainly a different look from her usual t-shirt and jeans._

_Bloody hell._

Three thoughts clashed in his mind one right on top of the next. Zaeed really wanted to drag Fia away from all the wandering eyes in the crowd that were _appreciating_ the view as much as he was. He also felt a sudden urge to drag her outside into the alley and take her up against the nearest wall. Lastly though, he thought she looked more carefree than he’d seen her in weeks.

The old mischief was back in her eyes, and Zaeed desperately wanted to keep it there. The weeks after rescuing her father had been tough on Fia. She refused to talk to anyone about Vido’s death. She’d been missing a little of her normal spark. She spent most of her time avoiding everyone, even Hackett.

Making a quick decision, Zaeed elbowed his way through the dancers to join her. He chuckled at her sharp intake of breath when he took her by the hips and pressed her against his body. He moved both of them to the steady beat of the music.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” She teased. “Did you have fun?”

He considered teasing her in return, but a rush of emotion changed his mind. “More than I’ve had in a long goddamn time.”

Fia blinked up at him in surprise. She tripped over the boots she wore before catching herself. Twisting around, she looped her arms around his neck. The music suddenly slowed and he found he loved the way her body swayed against his.

_Oh. Fucking. Hell._

“Zaeed?”

“Just came to a sudden realization.”

“Oh? That your dick is hard?” She smirked at him.

“ _Imp._ ”

“What? It is,” Fia insisted. She rotated her hips as they danced to brush herself against him. “Why Admiral Massani, what are you thinking about right now?”

“A bloody aggravating Imp.” He bent down until he could murmur the next words into her ear. “One I am falling in love with.”

“Well, shit,” she whispered. Her lips quirked up into a wry confused grin though he thought she looked a little…out of her depth. “I…need to play hide and seek more often.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“Yes?” She drew the word out unnecessarily long. “I might be having similar…feelings…toward you. Might be heart burn, I had a really large piece of pizza for dinner.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“Hmm?”

“Goddamn Imp.”

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Eddie_

_Subj: OH MY FUCKING GOD._

_He said he’s falling in love with me._

_What the hell do I do?_

_I’m not equipped for this shit._

_Stop laughing, I know you’re laughing. Help me damn it._

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Eddie_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: re: Your pointless freaking out._

_You say you are falling in love with him, because you know it’s true._

_Then you hump each other like little bunnies._

_Why is this an issue?_

_Speaking of issues, have you messaged your dad lately? I think he thinks you’re upset with him. You can’t avoid him forever._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Eddie_

_Subj: re: jerkface friends._

_You are fired as my best friend._

_Fia_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clothing Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91385766666/penthesilea1623-metaphorwaters-i-know-im


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

"Did you just say Fia tattooed her head?" Hackett stalked forward until he was nose to nose with Eddie. "She tattooed her fucking skull.  Is it a wild assumption on my part to believe she’s lost her damn mind?"

"Uhm." Eddie blinked at him. "No, sir?"

"Walk. Away." Hackett pinched the bridge of his nose and pointed toward the opposite side of the room. "Over there, where I can’t accidentally kill you while I count to a hundred."

“Yes, Sir.”

Any other time, Hackett might find it slightly amusing the way the young man bolted across the room, knocking over a few chairs in the process. He was too busy trying not to break the bridge of his own nose while he muttered to himself. It was bad enough he had to contend with his _only_ daughter dating _Admiral Goddamn Massani_ , but now Fia had gotten some sort of vine inked on the shaved side of her head. She was on the Citadel setting up her new office so he hadn’t seen it yet.

Eddie had accidentally spilled the beans on the new ink while he was delivering a package to Arcturus where Hackett was temporarily staying. He planned to move back to Elysium eventually. It made a better base of operation for his bounty hunting. Anderson had talked him into spending a _little_ more time on the station before leaving.

_He was too damn persuasive for his own good._

“Mr. Hackett?”

“Not done counting,” Hackett snapped back at him.

“Yes, Sir.” Eddie seemed to find a spot on the wall incredibly interesting. His gaze remained there until Hackett coughed _loudly._ “Sir?”

“Do I look…never mind.” Hackett reminded himself it wasn’t fair to kill the messenger. “Why _exactly_ didn’t my daughter come here herself?”

“Because she knows you really well?”

Eddie’s face might have been completely blank, but Hackett could see traces of amusement in his eyes. It wasn’t helped by the fact that Anderson wasn’t even attempting to hide his laughter. It was a damn conspiracy. They were all trying to make him lose his damn mind.

“Steven.” Anderson stopped laughing at him and waved Eddie out of the room. “If it cheers you up, just imagine what Admiral Massani’s reaction is going to be to Fia’s new tattoo.”

“That is _not_ helpful.”

“Want me to kiss it all away?” Anderson asked.

Hackett grabbed him by the front of his uniform and shoved him against the wall. His mouth hovered an inch away from Anderson’s. “I think you’re going to do more than _kiss_ me.”

“Really?”

“ _Really.”_ He moved his hand to grip Anderson by the shoulder and pushed him down to his knees. “Make yourself useful.”

* * *

 

_From: Eddie S._

_To: Fia H._

_Subj: Oops._

_I might have accidentally told your dad about the new tattoo._

_Don’t kill me, you need me._

_Eddie_

* * *

 

_From: Fia H._

_To: Eddie S._

_Subj: re: Oops._

_What the hell do you mean ‘oops’?_

_That’s more than a fucking oops. That’s an explosive level of clusterfuck we have yet to reach in our young lives._

_He’s going to kill me. Then I’m going to kill you. We’ll both be dead._

_I hate you._

_Fia_

* * *

 

Standing in front of the mirror in her bathroom, Fia ran the tip of her finger along the intricate vine tattooed on the shaven side of her head. She thought it was beautiful. She wasn’t entirely certain how Zaeed would respond. He’d already sent her a message asking why her father was all riled up.

_Why did he think?_

_Her dad was always riled up about something when Zaeed was close by._

“What did you do to your head, Little Pyjack?” Wrex leaned over to get a better look. “Did you do that on purpose?”

“Everyone’s a fucking critic,” Fia grumbled. “Are you here for a particular reason or just to aggravate me?”

“I saw your Admiral on the Presidium earlier, thought you might like to know.” Wrex waved a bottle at her. “Want some ryncol?”

“Again? Didn’t I end up in the hospital the last time?” Fia leaned over to sniff the liquor. Her eyes watered from the fumes. “Ahh, why the hell not.”

* * *

 

_From: James Stevens_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: Your Daughter._

_Drank ryncol._

_Is in the hospital._

_Did you drop her on the head as a child?_

_James_

_P.S. Are you aware someone’s tattooed her head?_

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

_From: James Stevens_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Fia._

_She’s not in the hospital._

_She apparently checked herself out before I arrived. I’ll see if I can track her down._

_James_

* * *

 

James Stevens had seen a lot of things over the course of his long career in the Alliance. He’d seen a lot of things simply from being the father of a teenage boy who got into more trouble than he was worth at times. He couldn’t recall ever seeing anything like what he encountered when he was lead to the C-sec cell where Fia was being held.

Based on a statement from Wrex who had already been questioned by C-sec, Fia had gotten a hold of spiked ryncol. This time it didn’t put her in the hospital so much as send her flying off the deep-end into a manic episode of pure rage. She had almost beaten a Blue Suns Lieutenant half to death before the bouncers at Chora’s Den pulled her off of the woman. She’d been tossed into the drunk tank when she wouldn’t calm down.

He peered through the small window at the pacing Fia. She hadn’t come down from the drugs yet. Given her family history, he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be pleasant for anyone when she did finally sober up. He needed to get her head clear and then convince her to head to Arcturus with him.

_Stubborn tended to run in the Hackett genes._

The minute Fia seemed _calm enough_ ; Major Stevens dragged her out of the drunk tank toward the nearest coffee pot. He practically poured coffee down her throat until she was coherent and not cursing him every other word. He suggested perhaps Hackett could find some sort of therapy for her since she seemed to grow more and more disturbed the clearer her head became.

"Oh yeah, he's brilliant at counseling." Fia snorted derisively at Major Stevens. "The first thing Dad's going to say is, 'you're grounded for life.' How is that fucking helpful? It's not fucking helpful. Never mind I’m almost twenty-five.”

"He..."

"My father is many wonderful things.  He's not..." She shook her head. "I'll deal with it my way."

"You aren't dealing with it." He decided not to point out that Fia, like his son, failed to act her age quite frequently.

"And that's my way,” she shrugged his arm off of her shoulder. “Thanks for bailing me out.”

“ _Fia._ ”

“I need some air.” She strode away from him and darted between the closing doors of an elevator before he could reach her.

_Damn it._

* * *

 

_From: Fia_

_To: Dad_

_Subj: re: Where are you?_

_I picked up a decryption job which requires my presence on site. I’ll be gone for a few weeks. It seemed like a good idea to get away from everyone._

_The spiked ryncol turned me into mom for a few hours._

_I…_

_I need time to get the feeling out of my head. Give me the time, please?_

_I love you, Dad._

_I’m fine._

_Fia_

* * *

 

_From: Dad_

_To: Fia_

_Subj: re: Fine._

_You never claim to be ‘fine’ unless you aren’t fucking fine._

_So talk to me, kid._

_I thought we were in a better place now. We’ve always been able to talk about this kind of shit, even if it’s…awkward to get through. You are not your mother. She was...a cruel drunk. _

_Come to Arcturus. I’m stuck here for a little bit longer._

_Dad_

* * *

 

_From: Urdnot Wrex_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: The Little Pyjack._

_Batarians grabbed her on Omega before I could get to her. They are likely behind the ryncol that made her so sick. I got a trace on ‘em that went all the way to Torfan._

_You’re gonna need a hell of a lot of help to take that shithole. Maybe the Little Pyjack’s Admiral can provide it? The Alliance has a lot of reasons to want to take the multi-eyed bastards down a bit._

_You’ve seen slaver camps. You need to find her fast. I’d go with you, but I’m not all that welcome with uniformed officers. Something about my temper and need to shoot without asking questions._

_Wrex_

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

It took two completely nightmarish days to gather a strong enough unit to take to Torfan. Between the taking of Fia and recent brazen attacks on human colonies by the Batarians, _Admiral Massani_ had all the justification necessary to convince the rest of the Alliance the slavers needed to be wiped out. He’d been given command over Major Kyle’s unit who would leave the offensive. Hackett had hitched a ride with them on Anderson’s ship.

He didn’t really give a damn about the politics or military strategy. He planned on staying with the marines just long enough to get within sight of wherever the slavers were holding Fia. He had to know she was safe.

Only then would Hackett bury every multi-eyed son-of-a-bitch who had dared to lay a finger on her beautiful tattooed head. He’d kill every last bard, burn the Hegemony to the ground. No one was taking his little girl from him, particularly slimy fucking slavers and if Major Kyle got in his way, he’d be joining the batarians in the dirt.

Sitting in the shuttle bay of Anderson’s ship, Hackett methodically stripped down, cleaned and finally put back together each of his weapons. He’d already checked the rest of his gear. He even included a small first aid kit in his pack. The ship had a fully equipped Med Bay, but who knew how long it would take to get Fia back to it or what shape she’d be in when he found her.

His position in the corner behind one of the shuttles gave Hackett the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop on the shouting match Massani was giving to Major Kyle. Hackett hadn’t figured out why the hell they’d picked Kyle in the first place. He didn’t seem all that capable of handling this sort of mission. He wished the idiots in the brass had taken Massani’s suggestion to let Major Stevens’ special operations team handle it.

“We will get her back, Steven.” Anderson leaned against the crate Hackett was sitting on and reached out to place his hands lightly on Hackett’s shoulders. “We’ll be within shuttle reach of Torfan in ten minutes. Are you ready?”

“Slavers…” Hackett cut himself off. He didn’t want to give voice to his fears and he didn’t want the distractions of imagining what was being done to His. Little. Girl. “I’ll kill every last one of the bastards.”

“The Admiral might want to take out a few of them as well.” Anderson glanced up when Massani’s voice raise yet another few decibels. He’d been terse and tense since Fia was snatched. “He’s in love with her.”

“Then he better help bring her home.” Hackett got to his feet to begin suiting up. “I’ll stay patched into the Alliance comms, but I work better alone.”

Anderson squeezed Hackett’s shoulder again. “Understood. I’ll keep a shuttle on standby here. Just send me your coordinates and we’ll come to pick you up.”

They both knew Fia had been with the slavers for too long for her not to be injured. Hackett resisted the urge to snap angrily at Anderson. The man had been with him every step of the way, smoothing things over and rushing things along. He also seemed to understand the rage constantly simmering under the surface.

Clearing the slaver camp was more a methodical slaughter than anything else. Hackett had been right about Major Kyle. He crumpled under the pressure rather quickly. Massani immediately took command and pushed the marines forward into the slaver base.

Knowing the _important_ prisoners would be kept away from the others, Hackett made his way toward an area on the edge of the fencing running along the entire perimeter. He’d noticed on their initial scans that it seemed to be more secure than the rest of the buildings.

He found his daughter in a solitary building well outside of the main compound of intricate underground tunnels. He took out the three batarians on watch with ease and moved inside the small structure. He cleared the first room before moving quickly into the second larger room. It appeared to be the sleeping quarters for the higher ranking slavers. The center of the room contained a small cage similar to ones he’d seen in dog kennels.

“Massani? You hearing me on this channel?” He struggled to keep a lid on his anger.

“Go ahead,” Massani snapped impatiently a second later. “I’m a little busy.”

“I found her.” Hackett crouched by the cage to get a closer look at the still figure huddled in the corner. “Tell Anderson to get that shuttle on its way to me. I’ll send him the coordinates. He’s going to want to tell the Doctor to get ready. And Zaeed?”

_“What?”_

“You kill every last one of the bastards. You obliterate them. Because I swear if you don’t, I’m coming back and I’ll blow this fucking moon until nothing but dust is left floating in the atmosphere.” Hackett kept his rifle focused on the door while working quickly to break the lock on the cage. “Fia? Can you hear me, kid? I’m here. I’m sorry I came a little fucking later than anticipated. Fia? C’mon? I usually can’t get you to stop bugging me.”

With the lock off, Hackett shoved the gate to the cage open and bent down so he could ease his tightly curled up daughter out of the filthy crate. He bottled his rage at her being kept like a fucking animal and focused on getting a better idea of how injured she was. He forced himself to check for a pulse and breathed out a grateful sigh when he found it was strong.

FIa hadn’t really acknowledged his presence yet. He wasn’t even sure of she was aware who was holding her. The only way he knew she was conscious was her flinch when he brushed the blue hair out of her bruised face.

Lifting her up into his arms, Hackett carried her as gently as possible outside of the building. He found Anderson and three marines standing outside of a shuttle with their weapons drawn. They provided an escort into the Kodiak.

“You’re going to be all right, kid.” Hackett clutched her in his arms while moving over to take a seat. “Fia? Damn it, kid, say something.”

“Chakwas sent her assistant with me. She’s getting the Med Bay prepped for her.” Anderson knelt next to Hackett’s leg. “He’s going to run a few diagnostic tests on her.”

“He’s gonna yell, David, a lot.” Fia’s voice was weak and lacked the normal humour Hackett expected from his daughter. “Tell him not to yell. It hurts.”

“What hurts?” Anderson tried to tilt her head up a little.

“ _Everything.”_

* * *

 

_From: Eddie_

_To: Dad_

_Subj: re: Fia_

_I’m already on my way to Arcturus to see her._

_I don’t think Fia will want to stay there long though. Have you seen her? She hasn’t replied to any of my messages. It’s not like her to be so quiet._

_Has her dad said anything about her condition at all?_

_Eddie_


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ending this here for now. Chances are I'll come back to it, just a few other things I want to work on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

The message from Fia’s doctor hadn’t been specific when he insisted that Admiral Massani come by as quickly as possible.   Zaeed knew Fia wasn’t happy with being stuck in a hospital. The batarians had really worked her over though and neither he nor her father were willing to risk her injuring herself in her obvious desire to prove she was ‘perfectly fucking fine.’

He was walking down the hall into the recovery ward when he heard shouting.

“I don’t want to talk to you about it. I don’t want to talk to Zaeed or Eddie or Mr. Stevens about it. I don’t want to fucking talk to the weird ass head doctor that David suggested about it.” Fia sounded exhausted and overwhelmed. Her voice appeared to be close to cracking. “Just leave me alone, Dad.”

He knew they’d been having this argument for days. It was literally the only time they saw any real emotion from Fia. She was a shadow of her usual self. She hadn’t cracked any sort of joke since being rescued.

Stepping into the room, Zaeed found Fia pacing angrily in the small space while Hackett tried to reason with her. She wore a pair of hospital scrubs and a hoodie. She hated the ‘ugly ass hospital gowns.’   Eddie had brought in one of his hoodies and a borrowed set of scrubs from one of the doctors.

“I don’t…” Fia trailed off as she realized Zaeed was in the room. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He grabbed the strings on her hoodie and used them to ease her over into his arms. “Are you doing all right?”

Fia shrugged indifferently then turned toward her Dad. “Why do I need to fucking talk about it? I relive it in my head enough as it is.”

“That’s why, kid.” Hackett was being far more patient than Zaeed thought him capable of. “Talking about it will help.”

“What’s it worth to you?” Fia’s eyes took on a slightly calculating look. “If you’re going to make me talk about the shit, I want a puppy.”

“A puppy.” Hackett sounded as bewildered as Zaeed felt. “You want a puppy in order to bribe you into discussing your feelings.”

“Yep.”

“There are days I’m convinced your emotional maturity stunted at twelve.” Hackett exchanged a tired glance with Zaeed. “What kind of puppy? How much will you talk and to whom?”

“Really?” Fia’s eyes lit up for the first time in days and Zaeed decided the goddamn dog would be worth any annoyance if it kept that spark on her face. “I want a furry, brown, teeny thing.”

 _“Very descriptive.”_ Zaeed didn’t bother hiding his amusement when Hackett pinched the bridge of his nose. “And who will you talk to?”

“Mr. Stevens.” Fia ignored Zaeed as he tugged on her hoodie strings. “He won’t get all weird.”

* * *

 

_From: James Stevens_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Fia._

_Steven already contacted me. I’ll be at the hospital later in the afternoon with pizza and cupcakes. I know it’s not normal hospital food, but I think the kid might appreciate it._

_And it’s no real mystery as to why she’d rather talk to me. What kid wants to tell their father all the painful things that have happened to them? She knows her Dad will just kick himself for not protecting her. This is her way of protecting him._

_And you._

_She’s in love with you. You are intelligent enough to realize that right? She doesn’t want you to look at her any differently._

_Did you two really promise her a puppy? You better deliver._

_James_

* * *

 

Her jailers had let her out for a few hours so Fia found herself comfortably ensconced on Zaeed’s couch in his living quarters.   Her dad had wanted her to spend time with him at David’s apartment, but she’d argued he might find it too much of a temptation to eavesdrop on the conversation. She really didn’t want to talk about everything and she definitely didn’t want her dad to hear it. It was bad enough he’d been the one to find her in the fucking cage.

She stared despondently down at the bruises on her bare arms. Her thoughts started to drift to things she preferred _not_ to remember. She wasn’t sure how the hell to explain what she was going through to Mr. Stevens.

The smell of pizza was mouth-watering, but Fia didn’t budge from the couch. She cracked the barest hint of a smile when Mr. Stevens placed an over-sized, overly decorated cupcake in her hand. It had more frosting than actual cake—her kind of cupcake.

“Fia?”

She picked at the wrapping on the cupcake. “I wasn’t…violated…with uhm…shit. I wasn’t raped. I know Dad’s terrified to ask, so tell him I wasn’t.”

“Why are you so afraid to talk to him?” He sat in the armchair across from Fia. “He won’t think any different of you, no matter what happened on Torfan.”

“Can I have my puppy now and awkwardly painful, crappy conversations later?” Fia continued to fidget with the paper cover her cupcake.

“No.”

She took a huge bite of the cupcake and stared pointedly at him while she chewed. He waited patiently for her to finish. With an exaggerated sigh, she told Eddie’s Dad an _abbreviated_ version of what her time on Torfan had been like. She left out the constant barrage of words which had cut like a knife.   She could still hear them echoing around in her head.

“The voices go away with time.” He moved over to sit next to her and wrapped an arm around her. “I promise that they start to fade after a while. It doesn’t happen in an instant. It’s like a slowly evaporating fog. One day, you’ll look and suddenly it’s crystal clear again.”

“They were waiting.”

“Hmm?”

“The batarians,” she clarified. “They were waiting for my Dad to show up. They didn’t expect him to arrive with an entire marine unit. They thought he’d come alone for me. It would’ve been more fun to break me with him forced to watch.”

“Bastards.”

“Indeed.” Fia crumpled the remains of her cupcake in her hand. “Are they all dead?”

“Every. Single. One.”

She glanced over her shoulder to find her Dad leaning against the wall by the door. “ _Dad._ ”

“Sorry, kid, I had to know.”

“Where’s my puppy?” Fia elbowed Eddie’s Dad in the side when he laughed at her. She brushed her hands on her jeans to get rid of the frosting. “Listen, both of you, I’m fine…well, I’ll be fine. It was fucked up. _Completely_. They…I thought I might die. But I didn’t. I was beaten, repeatedly, which isn’t anything I haven’t experienced before. In case you all forgot, I didn’t exactly have a very pleasant first few years in life. This time was easier.”

“Why?” Hackett asked with intensity to his voice.

“I knew my Dad would find me,” she shrugged. “And you did. Now give me my damn puppy.”

“ _Ofelia.”_

 _“_ What?” She grinned at her father’s exasperated tone. “You promised.”

He looked over at Mr. Stevens. “Is it too late to trade her in for an easier to deal with version?”

“Definitely.” Eddie’s Dad grunted when Fia elbowed him. “I think she’s going to be fine.”

“The little fiend better be all right.” Zaeed moved around her Dad over to the couch. He leaned over the back of it to place a tiny black and brown fluff ball in her lap. “If the goddamn thing chews on my shoes, I’m throwing you both out an airlock.”

“Aww, look at ‘em. He’s perfect.” Fia lifted the puppy carefully up into her arms. She was rewarded with a very vigorous kiss on her nose. “Hello, Little Z.”

“Did she…you are not naming the goddamn puppy after me.” Zaeed glared first at Fia’s laughing father and then at her directly. “ _No.”_

“Too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little Z: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93604445826


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is technically a drabble inspired by an OC meme question, but I wanted to add it to the story since it fit in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

For the fifth night in a row, Zaeed found Fia curled up in his bed instead of the hospital. She was under his blanket with her back to the wall and her eyes intensely focused on the open doorway. Like the past nights, she never once acknowledged his presence or seemed to be aware he was there. He frowned at the brown ball of fluff on the pillow.

_Bloody dog._

Slowly pulling off his uniform and putting it away, Zaeed stepped into his bathroom for a quick shower then changed into boxers. He eased into bed with her.  Fia wiggled forward so he could fit between her and the wall. She snuggled up so her back was pressed against his chest. He wound his arm around her loosely.

“Zaeed?”

“Yes, Imp?” He nuzzled her neck. He worried about the after-effects of her being held by the batarians. She might’ve _talked_ to Stevens, but she hadn’t really gotten it all out. It was a relief she hadn’t attempt to run from them all yet. “Fia?

“Don’t like sleeping at the hospital.” She reached up to clutch his arm as if she feared he would suddenly disappear. “Why do I even have to stay at the fucking hospital? All I have are a bunch of bruises which will fade away.”

“That’s…”

“Does my dad think I’m going to flip or something stupid?” Fia tilted her head to the side to look at him. “Do you?”

“You went through hell, Imp. You’re going to feel the goddamn effects from it for a while,” he shrugged.

“That’s not a no. It’s not a yes either.” Fia flopped her head back down on the pillow.

“Imp?”

“Hmm?”

“Sleep.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Little Z is snoring.”

“Bloody mutt.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fia's Face Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/86421793215 & http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/85824419526/willoughbooby-natalie-dormer-on-set-of-the


End file.
